shibboleth

American  

[shib-uh-lith, ‑-leth] / ˈʃɪb ə lɪθ, ‑ˌlɛθ /

noun

1. a peculiarity of pronunciation, behavior, mode of dress, etc., that distinguishes a particular class or set of persons.

2. a slogan; catchword.

3. a common saying or belief with little current meaning or truth.

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shibboleth British  

/ ˈʃɪbəˌlɛθ /

noun

1. a belief, principle, or practice which is commonly adhered to but which is thought by some people to be inappropriate or out of date

2. a custom, phrase, or use of language that acts as a test of belonging to, or as a stumbling block to becoming a member of, a particular social class, profession, etc

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shibboleth Cultural  

1. In the Old Testament, shibboleth was a password used by the Israelites. It was chosen because their enemies could not pronounce it.

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Discover More

By extension, a shibboleth is an often-repeated slogan. It also means an arbitrary test to prove membership in a group.

Etymology

Origin of shibboleth

From Hebrew shibbōleth literally, “freshet,” a word used by the Gileadites as a test to detect the fleeing Ephraimites, who could not pronounce the sound sh (Judges 12:4–6)

Explanation

A shibboleth is like a motto or catchphrase that members of a group tend to say, like the conservative shibboleth that the only good government is a small government. Shibboleth is a Hebrew word that means "ear of corn" or "flood." In a Biblical story, the word was used as a password — a means to figure out who was part of your group and who wasn't. It still has that sense of identifying someone as a member of a group. Sometimes it also means "platitude" or "truism," a phrase that is so common everyone thinks it's true, like "crime doesn't pay," or "better late than never."

Example Sentences

“The market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent,” is a financial industry shibboleth most investors have learned through a great deal of pain.

From Barron's • Nov. 4, 2025

This is the shibboleth that no fault must ever attach to the electorate.

From Salon • Aug. 24, 2025

In violation of virtually every shibboleth governing the conduct of samurai, her father assassinated a brutal lord for the sake of the realm.

From New York Times • Mar. 19, 2024

That’s because, contrary to the shibboleth, the good isn’t the enemy of the great—it’s the loam of the great.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 9, 2023

History is a cumulative record of success and failure, and the pretense that it can be something other than that is a peculiar shibboleth of historical writing over the last fifty years.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton