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
-
Her campaign’s slogan reflected that.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has redefined the department’s public posture around slogans of lethality and aggression while overhauling everything from the military’s chain of command to its integration of artificial intelligence into targeting and battlefield decision-making.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
8 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
-
Hotels and Airbnb Businesses along Roosevelt Avenue prepare for the World Cup by displaying flags, soccer jerseys, and banners on June 09, 2026, in the Queens borough of New York City.—
Contessa Brewer,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
-
Some of the banner’s most successful cultural initiatives include Cinema Paradiso, a festival dedicated to movies, food and clubbing which has been housed at some of Paris’ most prestigious venues, from the Grand Palais to the Louvre.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
The second was that, along with the platitudes about resilience, attendees were unusually honest about the Gulf’s predicament.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
4 June 2026
-
Not the word kindness, not the platitudes.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
The president used similar bromides in private calls to assuage allies, including Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, before launching the war in February, according to people familiar with the conversations.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
3 June 2026
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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
Noun
-
Fourth walls are shattered, hoary tropes are dismantled, the body count climbs and a joke gets thrown in about the endless supply of Wayanses ready to keep the franchise going.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
-
But in our universe, just over a year ago, Lineker shared an Instagram post about Zionism that featured an emoji of a rat, an antisemitic trope.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
4 June 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
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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 14 Jun. 2026.
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