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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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
-
Kelly Enders-Tharp, a three-time surrogate and education and experience specialist at Growing Generations, explains that surrogates are often stereotyped, or that their backgrounds are misrepresented.—
Kris Ann Valdez,
Parents,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Later, Lenape artist Joe Baker places cutout photographs of his ancestors over the stereotyped images of Native Americans found in the wallpaper.—
Tom McDonough,
Artforum,
1 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Simmons said Tarrant families are tired of O’Hare’s bullying, silencing and antics.—
Rachel Royster
March 5,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Mar. 2026
-
His poor metrics are the result of the Panthers looking tired and worn down in front of him, and Bobrovsky not being consistently at his absolute best.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Few parents can follow the hackneyed wisdom of living in the moment.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
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But the movie drifts into hackneyed melodrama that sits awkwardly against the gritty canvas of terrorist incidents, sniper attacks, bombings and police checkpoints.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
If frictionless facial recognition becomes commonplace, theoretically, ICE is vulnerable to the technology as well.—
Sarah Jeong,
The Verge,
1 Mar. 2026
-
In the one-reel short — which features only one single camera set-up, as was commonplace at the time — Méliès plays a magician who winds up an automaton dressed as the clown Pierrot.—
Eric Henderson,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shopworn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shopworn. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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