schlock

American  

[shlok] / ʃlɒk /

Or shlock

adjective

1. Also cheap; trashy.

   a schlock store.

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noun

1. something of cheap or inferior quality; junk.

schlock British  

/ ʃlɒk /

noun

1. goods or produce of cheap or inferior quality; trash

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adjective

1. cheap, inferior, or trashy

Etymology

Origin of schlock

First recorded in 1910–15; apparently from Yiddish shlak “apoplectic stroke, evil, nuisance, wretch” (compare Middle High German slac(g) “blow”; slay ); development of the English sense is unclear

Example Sentences

That reality is going to one-up Griff and Doug’s efforts to make a simple schlock movie seems foreordained, yielding the signature line, “We came here to make ‘Anaconda’ and now we’re in it!”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

The "AI schlock", as McDonald puts it, was evidently not in Foley's "Texas singer-songwriter from the heart" style.

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025

This recycled trash is no treasure, but I’m betting the majority of this redo’s audience will be young enough to find ’90s-style schlock adorably quaint.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2025

Throughout the film, she seems increasingly aware that there is no redeeming this steaming pile of superhero schlock and decides to lean into the absurdity.

From Salon • Jun. 17, 2025

Hilariously, what that means is I am often served ads for this schlock:

From Slate • Oct. 29, 2023