shibboleth

noun

ˈshi-bə-ləth How to pronounce shibboleth (audio)
Definition of shibbolethnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 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 In a North Hollywood podcast studio last week, Gill Tejada and his co-host, Boo Boo, trashed liberal shibboleths, like any good Trumpers. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 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
  1. slogan
  2. truism
  3. banner
  4. platitude
  5. bromide
  6. trope
  7. commonplace
  8. banality
Noun
  • And strength to resist reducing complex human challenges to slogans, enemies, or simple answers.
    — Halla Tómasdóttir, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The first one, released in 1986, featured Stevie Ray Vaughan playing guitar in front of a huge Texas flag and uttering the now-famous slogan into the camera.
    — Katie Standing, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of slogan
Noun
  • With all the hype surrounding potential uses of AI tools, this is a truism that too often gets forgotten.
    — Bryan Mistele, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Wars cannot be fought on ideology alone – a truism that perhaps led to the firebrand former defense minister’s departure, after months of clashes and refusing to deal with the army top brass, as Zelensky describes it.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of truism
Noun
  • Sy, who served as artistic producer on previous installments, makes his debut as co-showrunner alongside Louis Leterrier for the show’s fourth part, on top of co-producing it through their joint banner Carrousel Studios.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Mary McLaren and Tom McLaren produced the film through their Next Chapter Entertainment banner.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of banner
Noun
  • Hughes offered the usual interview platitudes and seemed to be pleased with how his team was playing.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But the platitudes offered by Sakic for Bednar and Bednar for Sakic ignore the Avs’ 20-18 playoff record since winning the cup.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of platitude
Noun
  • At the time, the state used a three-drug execution protocol of midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The protocol involved an administration of an anesthetic, sodium thiopental, followed by pancuronium bromide, a paralytic agent, and finally by potassium chloride to stop the heart, all in much higher doses than they’re typically used.
    — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of bromide
Noun
  • Enemies may often become allies — one of my favorite narrative tropes.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The trope of the outlaw as a man of honor can be found across the world, of course, but the Japanese version is particularly given to nostalgia.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of trope
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
Definition of commonplace
Noun
  • The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The sentences, packed with jargon, beat me down with their elaborate banality.
    — Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of banality

Browse Nearby Words

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shibboleth
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Cite this Entry

“Shibboleth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shibboleth. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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