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
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Recent Examples of shibboleth
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
Nothing is sacrificed to the shibboleth of good taste.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
Far from being a shibboleth of evil, the company is like any other trying to turn a profit in the Western world in 2023, which comes with its own issues and frustrations separate from the ones posited by Kristof in his viral article.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for shibboleth
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
Nothing is sacrificed to the shibboleth of good taste.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
Far from being a shibboleth of evil, the company is like any other trying to turn a profit in the Western world in 2023, which comes with its own issues and frustrations separate from the ones posited by Kristof in his viral article.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for shibboleth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shibboleth
Noun
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Polls are beginning to report early results with Sheffield in the lead by 75% and Kinloch at 24%, though Kinloch’s supporters are enthusiastically calling for his win and waving fans with his campaign slogan.—
Dana Afana,
Freep.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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Fresh thinking is not just a slogan at RISE Capital; it’s built into every aspect of the company’s service.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Along with producers Gellar, Zhao and the Zuckermans, Dolly Parton is returning as an executive producer on the series after producing the original under her Sandollar banner.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
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The trade show’s organizer said the project stems from its expertise in the fragrance world with its banner Pitti Fragranze fair.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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One truism in Latin American politics is that nearly every revolt is fueled by the frustration of junior army officers.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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But the movie’s soft-hearted underbelly fails to support that reading, and by the time the story finally arrives at its final moments, the unsparing cynicism that supplied its initial lift has been dragged back down to Earth by the weight of bland truisms.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This is now a political war that has escalated far beyond the ethical platitudes some use to argue against Proposition 50.—
Marc Lampe,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Continue reading … BLIND LOYALTY – Karine Jean-Pierre has rocky rollout for book as reviews pan Biden defense, platitudes.—
,
FOXNews.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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These films explore those bonds without ever resorting to bromides or mawkishness.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
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Exposure to chemical warfare agents—such as nerve gas—or to pyridostigmine bromide, a drug given to soldiers as a preventive measure against chemical attacks, may have played a role.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Many of these same tropes appear in movies such as The Matrix (1999), I, Robot (2004), Transcendence (2014), Ex Machina (2015), M3gan (2022), The Creator (2023), and others.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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There’s a reason why the enemies-to-lovers trope is so popular in the romance book community, and Bailey and Ashley only helped further prove it as their icy onscreen clashes slowly melted into a fiery (and definitely temperature-raising) romance.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Plot details are under wraps, but that's commonplace for a Perkins project.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Ion gauges are relatively cheap (under US $1,000) and commonplace.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The novel’s power lies in its relentless banality—the mind churning while life’s machinery grinds on.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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Evil is aided and abetted by the banality of institutions and their functionaries.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shibboleth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shibboleth. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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