Synonyms

hackneyed

American

[hak-need] / ˈhæk nid /

adjective

made commonplace or trite; stale; banal.

the hackneyed images of his poetry.

Synonyms:

overdone

hackneyed British

/ ˈhæknɪd /

adjective

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

"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

Related Words

See commonplace.

Other Word Forms

nonhackneyed adjective
unhackneyed adjective

Etymology

Origin of hackneyed

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

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.

The film rests in a dismal tone for so long that its gloominess becomes sappy, making the ending feel hackneyed and inevitable.

From Salon

Nonetheless, “Chess” leans primarily on a classic—or hackneyed?—dramatic trope: the love triangle.

From The Wall Street Journal

Early reviews called her music "hackneyed", "lightweight" and "emotionless".

From BBC

Juicy loves Tedra not in the Freudian manner of hackneyed “Hamlet” productions but in the protective way of an outcast who wishes to shield his fabulous mom from the blows of life.

From Los Angeles Times

This project is noble, though the author’s reliance on old-school routines and hackneyed tropes makes the play seem rather creaky.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023