counterword

[koun-ter-wurd]

noun

a word, often of short-lived popularity, widely used as an almost meaningless, automatic response.

a word that has come to be used with a meaning much less specific than that which it had originally, as swell, awful, or terrific.

Origin of counterword

First recorded in 1670–80; counter¹ + word

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for counter word

blend, compound, portmanteau, adage, banality, bromide, buzzword, commonplace, motto, platitude, proverb, saying, shibboleth, slogan, stereotype, truism, triviality, chestnut, corn, potboiler

British Dictionary definitions for counter word

counterword

noun

a word widely used in a sense much looser than its original meaning, such as tremendous or awful

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012