as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull
people at the funeral offered the grieving family well-worn platitudes and expressions of sympathy
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Recent Examples of well-worn
The New York subway system was one of Keith Haring’s most beloved and well-worn canvases.
—
Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024
The we’re-never-going-to-play-together-again-to-lucrative-reunion trail is well-worn at this point — just ask such famously feuding acts as the Eagles, Guns ‘N Roses, Pixies and, most recently and famously, Oasis: If there’s a windfall, there’s a way.
—Jeff Miller, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024
The ship generally looks good for its age, but some parts appeared well-worn.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 16 June 2024
An inter-generational audience of 200 attendees gathered at Oak Park’s Guild Theater, many with copies of The 1619 Project book, some well-worn, adorned with bookmarks and annotations, and others had never been opened before, having been bought minutes earlier at the entrance booth in preparation.
—Acsah Lemma, Sacramento Bee, 18 June 2024
Costume designer Kiyoshi Shaw provides outfits that helpfully remind you of the show’s early 20th century time period yet also seem natural, comfortable and well-worn.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2024
After the Renaissance and Impressionism, maybe the most well-worn.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
So, of course, this means Christina Aguilera could not possibly continue on this now well-worn — albeit still undeniably chic — path.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 5 Feb. 2024
The story of Peter and Harry’s tense friendship is not nearly as well-worn as the deaths of Peter’s Uncle Ben or Batman’s parents.
—Gene Park, Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2023
Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024
The we’re-never-going-to-play-together-again-to-lucrative-reunion trail is well-worn at this point — just ask such famously feuding acts as the Eagles, Guns ‘N Roses, Pixies and, most recently and famously, Oasis: If there’s a windfall, there’s a way.
—Jeff Miller, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024
The ship generally looks good for its age, but some parts appeared well-worn.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 16 June 2024
An inter-generational audience of 200 attendees gathered at Oak Park’s Guild Theater, many with copies of The 1619 Project book, some well-worn, adorned with bookmarks and annotations, and others had never been opened before, having been bought minutes earlier at the entrance booth in preparation.
—Acsah Lemma, Sacramento Bee, 18 June 2024
Costume designer Kiyoshi Shaw provides outfits that helpfully remind you of the show’s early 20th century time period yet also seem natural, comfortable and well-worn.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2024
After the Renaissance and Impressionism, maybe the most well-worn.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
So, of course, this means Christina Aguilera could not possibly continue on this now well-worn — albeit still undeniably chic — path.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 5 Feb. 2024
The story of Peter and Harry’s tense friendship is not nearly as well-worn as the deaths of Peter’s Uncle Ben or Batman’s parents.
—Gene Park, Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for well-worn
Adjective
-
Their negative stereotyped reputation seems to follow them like ageism follows older employees or sexism follows female employees.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
-
At the time, Latinos were often cast in stereotyped roles with heavy accents and largely denied the opportunity to direct features.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
But people here are tired of seeing Farmington in the headlines as a town that's losing population.—
Kirk Siegler,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2025
-
And there’s kids who are tired, or crying or can’t handle it.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Its baleful guitar and hackneyed vocals make the average doubts shared by everyone who has ever been in love seem generic.—
Will Dukes,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
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The movie’s a little more hackneyed and obvious now, but its central idea is still an undeniably creepy one: possessed children with pitchforks.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Female astronauts have become commonplace enough that the fact that the crew is composed entirely of women doesn’t immediately cause a sensation.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Tory Burch chose color-blocking as the preferred mode of expression and took commonplace pieces to new heights (a sequined swimsuit was the talk of the town after the label’s runway presentation).—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Well-worn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/well-worn. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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