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
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His name also drew some of the loudest applause throughout the convention, and merchandise bearing his likeness and slogans was prominently displayed across the venue.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
By applying legal methodologies to digital discourse, citizens can better distinguish facts from divisive slogans and propaganda.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In others, activists plastered flyers and banners on walls and public notice boards decrying the restrictions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
To that end, the retailer says searches for party banners are up 100 percent year-over-year, party decorations are up 125 percent, and balloon arches are up 28 percent.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
9 Apr. 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
-
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
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While embracing familiar tropes, They Cloned Tyrone weaves an original story that stands out as a diamond in the thick of many Netflix duds.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Apr. 2026
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But much of Orbán’s criticism of the Central European University has been directed personally at Soros, who is Jewish, often deploying antisemitic tropes in what has become a crusade against the billionaire philanthropist.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
11 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
-
Disruption without construction Instructors burned out with the current situation endure a barrage of repetitive bromides.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
-
The chef wrote around 40 sayings and gathered more from his Instagram followers.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The final section contains a collection of Akbar’s epigrammatic sayings.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shibboleths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shibboleths. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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