1
as in slogans
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
Relevance
2
as in clichés
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
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Recent Examples of shibboleths
The director scores easy laughs off of modern-day progressive shibboleths such as gender-fluid pronouns, trigger warnings and Native American land acknowledgments.
—
Gustavo Arellano, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
The director scores easy laughs off of modern-day progressive shibboleths such as gender-fluid pronouns, trigger warnings and Native American land acknowledgments.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Gustavo Arellano, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
The director scores easy laughs off of modern-day progressive shibboleths such as gender-fluid pronouns, trigger warnings and Native American land acknowledgments.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shibboleths
Noun
-
Two protesters briefly took over a small red carpet where guests were lined up to take professional photos; Times reporters saw a third woman dressed in a formal gown and shouting protest slogans being escorted out by security guards after apparently having entered the event.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Both slogans are regularly used by pro-Palestinian protesters and are highly controversial.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Ridge Historic District, known for its many historic homes, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with 61 new banners commemorating its place in history, as well as some festivities.—
Janice Neumann,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
Overstreet said most of the banners were put in place at night over two weeks starting in mid-April, and including last week.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The play isn’t subtle; the final sequence leans hard on truisms about addiction and trauma, which are affecting but overly explicit.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
20 Feb. 2026
-
One of the truisms in the past for Team Canada at some best-on-best events is needing a few games to find its game.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Neville is smart enough as a documentarian to leave out platitudes, but also to let access to Michaels’ Maine retreat be a vibe rather than some knockout reveal.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
But for UConn, the platitudes feel profoundly honest.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These are, in fact, common tropes of fiction going at least as far back as Bernard Malamud’s novel The Natural.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Buddy embraces the aesthetic of classic children’s television —complete with catchy songs and familiar tropes — before subverting it with a relentless descent into madness.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While these songs might appear to be somewhat straightforward EBM that wear their politics on their latex sleeve, there’s a level of ambiguity at work that moves Kissing Luck Goodbye past its own bromides and into deeper artistic territory.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
16 Apr. 2026
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Disruption without construction Instructors burned out with the current situation endure a barrage of repetitive bromides.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
As far back as the Victorian era, exchanging a few banalities was part of a veritable social code—a way of signaling both politeness and boundaries.—
Jeanne Ballion,
Vogue,
27 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
His daughter, Lisa Rodriguez, said he was known for his loud sense of style — his favorite shirt had a rainbow tiger on it — and his funny sayings.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
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The chef wrote around 40 sayings and gathered more from his Instagram followers.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shibboleths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shibboleths. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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