hackneyed
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See commonplace.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hackneyed
Explanation
Hackneyed is a word for language that doesn't pack a punch since it's overused and trite. "Roses are red, violets are..." — enough already?! That's hackneyed stuff. Hackneyed is usually used to describe tired writing, but you can also refer to the hackneyed plots of television sit-coms or the hackneyed jokes of your Uncle Fred. But, most often, you will see hackneyed before the word phrase to refer to a specific cliché that is annoying the heck out of someone.
Vocabulary lists containing hackneyed
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 Top "SAT" Words
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Grade 12, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Despite its hackneyed space western narrative, the film has good bones.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
"It's a very hackneyed expression but it's a huge privilege. It really is," he said.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
Early reviews called her music "hackneyed", "lightweight" and "emotionless".
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2024
“It may seem hackneyed, but the Supreme Court is well aware of the motto, ‘Justice delayed is justice denied,’” Gershman said.
From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2024
“But that expression of ‘violently in love’ is so hackneyed, so doubtful, so indefinite, that it gives me very little idea.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
