hackneyed

American  

[hak-need] / ˈhæk nid /

adjective

1. made commonplace or trite; stale; banal.

   the hackneyed images of his poetry.

   Synonyms:

   overdone

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hackneyed British  

/ ˈhæknɪd /

adjective

1. (of phrases, fashions, etc) used so often as to be trite, dull, and stereotyped

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Related Words

See commonplace.

Other Word Forms

• nonhackneyed
  adjective
• unhackneyed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of hackneyed

First recorded in 1740–50; hackney + -ed ²

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.

Example Sentences

Hackneyed metaphor aside, it’s a strange prop to have at an event for whatever reason.

From Slate • Feb. 28, 2023

Hackneyed, misleading, self-serving and dull, the annual address should be put out of its misery — and ours.

From Washington Post • Feb. 5, 2023

Hackneyed rock legends wouldn’t get a look-in now, would they?

From The Guardian • May 16, 2020

Hackneyed and pointless or not, it was at least a genuine ordeal.

From Slate • Oct. 25, 2017

Hackneyed Themes Here is a list of subjects no longer wanted by the editors—unless the theme is given a decidedly new twist—because they have become hackneyed from being done so often.

From Writing the Photoplay by Esenwein, J. Berg (Joseph Berg)

Related Words

• banal
• corny
• stale
• threadbare
• timeworn
• trite
• well-worn