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

"It's a very hackneyed expression but it's a huge privilege. It really is," he said.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

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

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2025

Flat-footed contrivances, compounded by hackneyed humor and stereotypical targets, contribute to the sense that the play is always a beat behind.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2024

The Ping-Pong table was surrounded by silent reminders of a singular college career — purple helmets, signed footballs, All-Pac-10 plaques, framed articles from Sports Illustrated and The Seattle Times featuring delightfully hackneyed headlines:

From Seattle Times • Oct. 6, 2023

So what if her first original words in months were the most hackneyed.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

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