tried-and-true

adjective

ˈtrīd-ən(d)-ˈtrü How to pronounce tried-and-true (audio)
Definition of tried-and-truenext
as in reliable
worthy of one's trust a tried-and-true friend who has always been there for me

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tried-and-true Ahead, save five of our tried-and-true outfit ideas for how to wear sneakers to work right now. — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 20 Oct. 2026 Tie The Corner This tried-and-true method works well with oversized trash bags that don’t have a drawstring. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2026 This year, October Prime Day includes deals on tried-and-true favorites and a few surprises. — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2026 For a classic Thanksgiving experience, start with our tried-and-true-and-tried-again-and-still-true Simple-Is-Best Stuffing, a reader favorite for more than a decade. — Hannah Lee Leidy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tried-and-true
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tried-and-true
  1. reliable
  2. true
  3. good
  4. safe
  5. solid
Adjective
  • The other short edge holds a set of speaker grilles, a power button that doubles as a responsive and reliable fingerprint reader, and a trigger for Alexa.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Some of these artists genuinely intended to step aside before changing their minds years later, and others simply saw a reliable gimmick to dramatically increase ticket sales and had no actual intention of retiring.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of reliable
Adjective
  • For her, the recognition is a way to show people how to stay true to their art.
    — Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Not only were the stories never proven true, but also at least one student later admitted to lying.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of true
Adjective
  • While the bathrooms in most accommodations feature walk-in showers, a few of the upstairs rooms have bathtubs, making those rooms a good choice for families.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Thunder star Jalen Williams, the team’s second-leading scorer and best all-around defender during its title run two seasons ago, fractured a fibula and dislocated his left ankle in a gruesome injury Sunday.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of good
Adjective
  • The Olympic Games are less than two years away, and the sheriff’s department will be expected to play a major role in keeping millions of visitors and athletes safe.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Billionaire Elon Musk had spent tens of millions for dollars to back Republicans, and Abbott's campaign had spent $180 million since last year in what was thought to be a safe path to a fourth term.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of safe
Adjective
  • However, Hamilton made up for it the next frame in a big way, leading off the top of the fifth inning with a solo home run to right center field off Griffin Jax, whose solid start ended on a bad note.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The fiber then emerges through its spinnerets in the solid form.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of solid

Browse Nearby Words

tried
tried-and-true
tried one's hand (at)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tried-and-true.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tried-and-true. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All