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
  • For 20 years, Silicon Valley's unofficial slogan has been to move fast and break things - the breaking, the price of progress.
    — Tonya Mosley, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Tokenization is at last becoming a Wall Street business, not merely a crypto slogan.
    — Nina Bambysheva, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of slogan
Noun
  • But most politicians are pretty easily replaced, a truism that Moreno reinforced by going public.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
  • There’s a long-standing truism in the world of physical attacks that defenders need to succeed every time, but attackers need to succeed just once.
    — Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of truism
Noun
  • The banner Villa fans held aloft before kick-off read ‘Unleash the Lions’.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Currently in development with Wachowski’s Anarchists United and Natasha Lyonne’s Ariadne banner, the pair teamed up last weekend on a live read event for the film at Dynasty Typewriter.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of banner
Noun
  • At last week’s meeting, though, Warsh spoke largely in platitudes and generalizations.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Leaders must understand grief's unique, individual nature, avoiding assumptions or platitudes.
    — Mena Mirhom, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of platitude
Noun
  • The fire contained compounds from more than two dozen chemical families, including dangerous amounts of bromide, a naturally occurring element that can irritate the skin and mucus membranes.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 29 June 2026
  • The bromide has been debunked, but there is power — and delight — in making coffee shop drinks at home.
    — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 25 June 2026
Definition of bromide
Noun
  • Its real interest, though, seems to lie beyond both DC Universe lore and the procedural tropes of the rural murder investigations that occupy most of its runtime.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Their emotional appeals drew on longstanding cultural tropes that cast trans and gender-diverse people as deviant or dangerous, amplifying public anxieties about trans rights, despite a lack of evidence for such claims.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 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
  • Of course, when a person live-streams long enough, banality can eventually give way to horror.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
  • For all the women looking up at me to think of me not as a crying heap on a toilet whose baby never latched but as someone who found meaning in all of our daily banalities.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of banality

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Cite this Entry

“Shibboleth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shibboleth. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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