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definitions

hackneyed

[hak-need]
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adjective

made commonplace or trite; stale; banal: the hackneyed images of his poetry.

RELATED WORDS

timeworn, corny, trite, banal, stale, threadbare, well-worn, antiquated, common, commonplace, conventional, everyday, hokey, moth-eaten, obsolete, old, out-of-date, outdated, outmoded, overworked

Nearby words

  1. hackly,
  2. hackman,
  3. hackmatack,
  4. hackney,
  5. hackney coach,
  6. hacksaw,
  7. hacktivism,
  8. hacktivist,
  9. hackwork,
  10. hacky sack

Origin of hackneyed

First recorded in 1740–50; hackney + -ed2
Related formsnon·hack·neyed, adjectiveun·hack·neyed, adjective

Synonym study

See commonplace.

hackney

[hak-nee]

noun, plural hack·neys.

Also called hackney coach. a carriage or coach for hire; cab.
a trotting horse used for drawing a light carriage or the like.
a horse used for ordinary riding or driving.
(initial capital letter) one of an English breed of horses having a high-stepping gait.

adjective

let out, employed, or done for hire.

verb (used with object)

to make trite, common, or stale by frequent use.
to use as a hackney.

Origin of hackney

1300–50; Middle English hakeney, special use of placename Hackney, Middlesex, England
Related formshack·ney·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hackneyed

British Dictionary definitions for hackneyed

hackneyed

adjective

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

hackney

noun

a compact breed of harness horse with a high-stepping trot
  1. a coach or carriage that is for hire
  2. (as modifier)a hackney carriage
a popular term for hack 2 (def. 1)

verb

(tr; usually passive) to make commonplace and banal by too frequent use
Derived Formshackneyism, noun

Word Origin for hackney

C14: probably after Hackney, where horses were formerly raised; sense 4 meaning derives from the allusion to a weakened hired horse

Hackney

noun

a borough of NE Greater London: formed in 1965 from the former boroughs of Shoreditch, Stoke Newington, and Hackney; nearby are Hackney Marshes, the largest recreation ground in London. Pop: 208 400 (2003 est). Area: 19 sq km (8 sq miles)
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
Word Origin and History for hackneyed
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper