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
-
From that moment through the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory, the city has cycled through slogans and logos — but keeps coming back to the heart, including in the upcoming World Cup.—
Dan Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
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But the images and slogans roaring across social media in this first month of the war in Iran may be something new.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Yet the low points were problematic for a program that measures itself by marquee wins and banners.—
Aaron Beard,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
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Right now, even with their tradition and their banners, the Bruins seem to be just one of many teams in the squishy middle – good enough to win a game or maybe two in the tournament, not really good enough to uphold that legacy by winning it all.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
-
But for UConn, the platitudes feel profoundly honest.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Donovan reiterated a series of platitudes that haven’t changed during his time with the Bulls.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Steeped in international cinema, Haghighi has since taken familiar tropes, forms, and genres and bent them in new directions.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Episode 1, for example, comes over as a political thriller with horror tropes where Prime Minister Adolfo Saúrez battles in 1976 to persuade – or bribe – a Francoist parliament to vote itself out of existence.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In Cuba today, Marxist bromides serve as nothing more than rhetorical cover for corruption.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Despite their clear affection for these women, the Dardenne brothers never sugarcoat their characters’ unenviable circumstance or latch onto phony bromides to alleviate our anxiety.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Written by Noah Oppenheim, Bigelow’s real-time thriller about the banalities and actualities of a fictional-in-premise-only nuclear attack on the United States is Netflix’s best horse in the race at the Oscars this year.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Countless sayings have likened friends to our most precious commodities—safety, home, even precious metals—for good reason.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
31 Mar. 2026
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Blue-and-white minibuses, inscribed with misspelt movie quotes and popular local sayings, snaked through the congestion on the narrow road in front of them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shibboleths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shibboleths. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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