variants
or schlocky
also shlock
or shlocky
as in cheap
of low quality
a tourist trap selling schlock souvenirs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of schlock
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
For every schlocky, derivative entry, there’s one that endures.
—Alex Barasch, New Yorker, 4 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
Gonzo attempts a wild stunt; Fozzie makes a few schlocky jokes; Bunsen and Beaker are working in the laboratory with unfortunate consequences.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 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
Macon Blair’s update to the legendarily schlocky Troma classic played Fantastic Fest and Beyond Fest two years ago and earned praise from genre fans for its wacky humor, its social critiques of modern America, and Peter Dinklage’s performance as Winston Gooze, the new Toxic Avenger.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Although Devil Girl from Mars was typical of the silly, schlocky TV fare that Estelle watched on many afternoons during her childhood, this movie was more than entertainment for a bored, lonely girl-child.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
For every schlocky, derivative entry, there’s one that endures.
—Alex Barasch, New Yorker, 4 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
Gonzo attempts a wild stunt; Fozzie makes a few schlocky jokes; Bunsen and Beaker are working in the laboratory with unfortunate consequences.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 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
Macon Blair’s update to the legendarily schlocky Troma classic played Fantastic Fest and Beyond Fest two years ago and earned praise from genre fans for its wacky humor, its social critiques of modern America, and Peter Dinklage’s performance as Winston Gooze, the new Toxic Avenger.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Although Devil Girl from Mars was typical of the silly, schlocky TV fare that Estelle watched on many afternoons during her childhood, this movie was more than entertainment for a bored, lonely girl-child.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for schlock
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, compounding pharmacies that sell cheaper knockoffs of these products are disrupting the marketplace.—
CHRISTOPHER ROWLAND THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Mail-only ballot elections are a cheaper, though slightly uncommon, alternative for cities when no candidates are on the ballot, like in the case of the upcoming April 21 election in the City Beautiful, according to Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Even if the football this summer is terrible, plenty of the teams are going to look great.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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In the 1970s-1980s, all the agricultural talk in the Mississippi Delta was whether the boll weevil would be terrible or just awful this coming fall.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And that 44-point home victory was with Brandon Miller having a poor shooting night (5 of 15, 13 points).—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Mar. 2026
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The Dolphins’ struggles during the last decade-plus with Ross signing the checks was a result of poor leadership at the top of the football operations side.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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During the Middle Ages, for example, many contemporary accounts from both Christian and Muslim societies depicted their opposing side as barbaric, blasphemous, and inferior.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
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So, are these new Reese’s products inferior to the original?—
Jonathan Deutsch,
The Conversation,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The exoplanet's atmosphere contains gases like water, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide -- which can smell like rotten eggs, especially when burned.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
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But it’s most often used in a more contemporary story as an ancestral home of an ancient, perhaps even rotten Establishment.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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What's worse are diesel prices.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Mar. 2026
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The family had made the three-day journey west based on reports that autism services in Colorado would be better, but in the upheaval of a move, Ethan had gotten worse and thrown his father into a wall.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Schlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/schlock. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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