as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull
the shopworn suggestion to job applicants to "just be yourself"
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shopworn
The Broncos look slow, sloppy, shopworn and stale.
—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
6 Nov. 2025
Carson said — 50 times Carson’s office, on a quiet street in downtown Modesto, was gritty and shopworn and functional in feel.
—
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2021
If your listing has become shopworn, look at reducing the price or offering incentives.
—
John Nugent,
Houston Chronicle,
4 July 2020
So much of his work seems dull, shopworn, generic.
—
James Marcus,
The New Yorker,
1 June 2020
See All Example Sentences for shopworn
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
6 Nov. 2025
Carson said — 50 times Carson’s office, on a quiet street in downtown Modesto, was gritty and shopworn and functional in feel.
—
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2021
If your listing has become shopworn, look at reducing the price or offering incentives.
—
John Nugent,
Houston Chronicle,
4 July 2020
So much of his work seems dull, shopworn, generic.
—
James Marcus,
The New Yorker,
1 June 2020
See All Example Sentences for shopworn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shopworn
Adjective
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This is a directed, stereotyped behavior in which the highest-resolution region of the somatosensory surface is brought to bear on the object requiring the most detailed analysis.
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In some cases, praise took on overtly stereotyped forms: words like 'love' were used disproportionately with female students, while 'powerful' appeared only for Black students.
Adjective
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Hollywood Plot Lines and Reality These are the tired questions every UFO skeptic asks.
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If your complexion tends to look flat or tired by midday, this powder can help bring back some radiance.
Adjective
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Maybe so, but think of how badly Congress had stated those hackneyed ideas.
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While not exactly a feminist screed, the script grants nary a free pass to the glut of hackneyed gender conventions in the golden-age canon without at least cracking a joke.
Adjective
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The Heat also has the ability to purchase an additional second-round pick or sell its second-round selection, which has become commonplace over the years.
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Rather than being exceptions, such landmarks are commonplace in Cambridge.
Cite this Entry
“Shopworn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shopworn. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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