variants or schlocky also shlock or shlocky
Definition of schlocknext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of schlock Well, people have always written schlocky or formulaic books. Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 10 June 2026 Yet despite their cultural staying power, power ballads have historically received little scholarly attention, in part because they are often dismissed as schlocky and banal. Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 22 May 2026 Deliberately schlocky and over-the-top, the production is a mere backdrop for the psychodrama happening off set between Elle and her costar Dominique (Havana Rose Liu), a girl her own age who’s also unfortunately her stepmother. Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026 Quentin Tarantino’s outrageous revisionist Western is wildly over-the-top, combining the director’s penchant for gratuitous violence and sparkling dialogue with a story that’s pleasingly labyrinthine but nothing if not schlocky. Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026 But that shift is still recent, and decades of cultural baggage — from sexist slasher stereotypes to schlocky late-night programming — continue to shape perception. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026 The film finally returns to Dracula’s castle, where four stone gargoyles come to life, and where there is bad swordplay, schlocky cannon fire, and a fortune-cookie theological lecture from Waltz’s Priest. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Feb. 2026 In one of the most heartwarming sequences a flashback shows these young film buffs shooting one of their shlocky Big Foot-esque monster movies. Randy Myers, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025 For one thing, it was produced for half a million dollars, resulting a charmingly schlocky and handmade product that greatly appealed to kids hoping to get into the business one day. Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for schlock
Adjective
  • But the breaking point came when his wife refused to let their young children near any of his half-century-old vehicles, which lacked air bags and the safety features standard in even the cheapest modern cars.
    Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 10 July 2026
  • As launch gets cheaper and hardware more standardized, companies can reach into space without having to master or even own the hardware.
    Charlotte Kiang, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
Adjective
  • With all the terrible news of layoffs and that the games industry is in a dire state, some people online have said a crash is the only way to fix things.
    Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • With Te Fiti gone, a terrible darkness began slowly taking hold of the islands and their surrounding waters.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026
Adjective
  • Overflowing poor drainage areas in urban areas of northwest Hickory and in the Northlakes area of Caldwell County.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
  • There was a lot of poor decision-making with this match, on and off the pitch.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Adjective
  • Over the last 15 years, employees have increasingly sued large employers over unnecessarily high fees or inferior investment options.
    Paul Kiel, ProPublica, 8 July 2026
  • The results have invariably been uglier, longer, inferior versions of films people already know and love, which provide a cheap rush of nostalgia but don’t offer any surprises or challenges.
    Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 8 July 2026
Adjective
  • But Reddick shouldn’t yet be counted out because his recent downturn is more due to rotten luck than substandard performance.
    Jess Bryant, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • Unashamed about its unoriginality, the movie debuted in May last year to a 'rotten' rating by critics and audiences alike on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
    Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Adjective
  • Despite concerns that California’s costs and regulations are bad for business, the state has attracted an unprecedented pile of capital this year, and no other state is even close.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • The Giants are now 39-54 this season, two games up on Colorado (38-57) for the worst record in the NL and second-worst in MLB.
    Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 10 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Schlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/schlock. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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