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
-
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
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Crucially, the documents insist that Patriot Front members only use propaganda, including slogans, logos and imagery, created by the group’s innermost leadership and approved by Rousseau himself.—
Will Carless,
USA Today,
4 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
-
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
Noun
-
Two banners protesting against his leadership were removed by security during the 2-0 victory against Real Oviedo on May 14.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
According to AllRecipes, Walmart’s new beverages feature colorful packaging resembling papel picado, traditional Mexican paper banners, while flavors such as grapefruit and apple echo brands like Jarritos and Sidral Mundet.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Noun
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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
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The theater is known for goofy, campy, original musical theater shows that riotously riff on fairy tales, folklore, TV shows and other familiar cultural tropes.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
8 June 2026
-
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
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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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
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
-
Sets come in half-dozens and include designs like a soccer ball, a flag, celebratory sayings in the language and a jersey, according to its website.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee
May 15,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
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Readers share Mother's Day advice, funny sayings and expressions from moms.—
Letters to the Editor,
Washington Post,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shibboleths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shibboleths. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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