HACKNEYED

banal, commonplace, hackneyed, old-hat, shopworn, stock, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, well-worn

(adjective) repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse; “bromidic sermons”; “his remarks were trite and commonplace”; “hackneyed phrases”; “a stock answer”; “repeating threadbare jokes”; “parroting some timeworn axiom”; “the trite metaphor ‘hard as nails’”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

hackneyed (comparative more hackneyed, superlative most hackneyed)

Repeated too often.

Synonyms: banal, commonplace, clichéd, shopworn, stock, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, unoriginal, well-worn, Thesaurus:hackneyed

(dated) Let out for hire.

Verb

hackneyed

simple past tense and past participle of hackney

Source: Wiktionary


HACKNEY

Hack"ney, n.; pl. Hackneys. Etym: [OE. haceney, hacenay; cf. F. haquenée a pacing horse, an ambling nag, OF. also haquenée, Sp. hacanea, OSp. facanea, D. hakkenei, also OF. haque horse, Sp. haca, OSp. faca; perh akin to E. hack to cut, and orig. meaning, a jolting horse. Cf. Hack a horse, Nag.]

1. A horse for riding or driving; a nag; a pony. Chaucer.

2. A horse or pony kept for hire.

3. A carriage kept for hire; a hack; a hackney coach.

4. A hired drudge; a hireling; a prostitute.

Hack"ney, a.

Definition: Let out for hire; devoted to common use; hence, much used; trite; mean; as, hackney coaches; hackney authors. "Hackney tongue." Roscommon.

Hack"ney, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hackneyed; p. pr. & vb. n. Hackneying.]

1. To devote to common or frequent use, as a horse or carriage; to wear out in common service; to make trite or commonplace; as, a hackneyed metaphor or quotation. Had I lavish of my presence been, So common-hackneyed in the eyes of men. Shak.

2. To carry in a hackney coach. Cowper.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

12 January 2025

HABIT

(noun) (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition; “owls have nocturnal habits”; “she had a habit twirling the ends of her hair”; “long use had hardened him to it”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Plain brewed coffee contains almost no calories, while coffee with dairy products, sugar, and other flavorings is much higher in calories. An espresso has 20 calories. A nonfat latte has 72, while a flavored one has 134.

coffee icon