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
-
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.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
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.—
Rachel del Guidice,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
If tired, float or tread water until out of the rip current.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
5 June 2026
-
The Ukrainian president also said the majority of Russians had grown tired of missile and drone attacks, inflation and fuel shortages, and were ready for peace.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Maybe so, but think of how badly Congress had stated those hackneyed ideas.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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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.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
While statistics suggest that Bass has made headway on homelessness, makeshift encampments and rows of rusting RVs remain commonplace across the city.—
MIchael R. Blood,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
-
Or visits from high-profile teams like the Yankees and MVPs like Judge — or Shohei Ohtani, whose Los Angeles Dodgers come to Sacramento at the end of June — will become commonplace, with 81 regular season home games a year on the shore of the Sacramento River.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shopworn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shopworn. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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