1
as in slogan
an attention-getting word or phrase used to publicize something (as a campaign or product)
we knew that their claim of giving "the best deal in town" was just a shibboleth
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2
as in cliché
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
there's a lot of truth in the shibboleth that if you give some people an inch, they'll take a mile
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shibboleth
This opens up the possibility that the agency can finally be wrenched away from divisive ideologies and progressive shibboleths and become a streamlined international-development assistance system that truly advances America’s interests.
—
The Editors, National Review, 5 Feb. 2025
As far back as 2015, when all of Washington was under the influence of unfettered free-trade shibboleths, Trump warned about the dangers of economic dependencies, built up over decades of liberalization, that could be exploited for geopolitical leverage.
—Andrew Byers, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2024
Musk’s willingness to upend auto manufacturing shibboleths has also forced his legacy competitors to seek new efficiencies.
—WIRED, 21 Sep. 2023
Johnson’s novella is a shibboleth among a certain kind of reader (and, typically, writer).
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 11 May 2020
See All Example Sentences for shibboleth
The Editors, National Review, 5 Feb. 2025
As far back as 2015, when all of Washington was under the influence of unfettered free-trade shibboleths, Trump warned about the dangers of economic dependencies, built up over decades of liberalization, that could be exploited for geopolitical leverage.
—Andrew Byers, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2024
Musk’s willingness to upend auto manufacturing shibboleths has also forced his legacy competitors to seek new efficiencies.
—WIRED, 21 Sep. 2023
Johnson’s novella is a shibboleth among a certain kind of reader (and, typically, writer).
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 11 May 2020
See All Example Sentences for shibboleth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shibboleth
Noun
-
On Monday, hundreds of youths marched to the gates of the air base, chanting anti-Ebola slogans.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
-
Leaders must focus on evidence communication over slogans or propaganda, using real employee voices, clear expectations and honest, bold or complex examples.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Another document details exactly how to create a Patriot Front banner – down to how to tie the knots affixing the canvas.—
Will Carless,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
As the ferry slowly pulled into the Ishigaki port on May 29, a group of people waved the Taiwan flag and brandished a banner to welcome the first batch of visitors.—
Wayne Chang,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Spain’s success over the past five years has undermined many long-standing political-economic truisms.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
-
His deep arsenal gives him a chance to handle a truism of the craft.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The process is so slow that a City Council committee held a hearing earlier this month essentially to turn up the heat on administration officials, who offered no explanation for the molasses-like contracting process other than platitudes.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
The public backing from members of the squad for Carrick has been pronounced, beyond the usual platitudes of players supporting their manager.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
Other testing by the state’s environmental quality department found elevated levels of heavy metals commonly found in oil field wastewater including barium and bromide.—
Nick Bowlin,
ProPublica,
18 May 2026
-
The bromide invites teachers to underestimate their students.—
Steven F. Wilson,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The science fiction film trope of the passionate astronomer monitoring radio telescopes in search of transmissions from an extraterrestrial intelligence, then actually hearing one, seems cliché today after decades of overuse.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
31 May 2026
-
In one specific case, that spy movie trope became all too real when Pierce Brosnan had to save Halle Berry on the set of Die Another Day (2002).—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Wolff was only the eighth woman to drive a Formula 1 car (four more have done it since); the role, a now-commonplace one that includes driving the simulator during Grand Prix weekends to inform trackside strategy, was created for her.—
Danielle McNally,
InStyle,
28 May 2026
-
The videos are often integrated into larger montages of drone strikes, underscoring how commonplace these drones have become for Russian forces.—
Vikram Mittal,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
In the last few decades, that swagger seems to have collapsed under the weight of a tepid banality.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
One effect of this austerity and repression is to focus attention on Albee’s language, with its slippery banalities and barbs.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shibboleth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shibboleth. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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