hackneyed

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈhækniyd/ UK /ˈhæknid/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
made trite and unoriginal through overuse

Her speech was full of hackneyed phrases that no one really heard anymore.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · made trite and unoriginal... triteclichedbanal staleoverusedcommonplace threadbareplatitudinous

Opposites

original fresh novel innovative

Word family

Related forms hackney

Etymology

From hackney ('a horse for hire', hence 'worn out by overuse'), probably from the place name Hackney in London, where horses were pastured; the adjective means 'made commonplace through overuse'.

hakeney Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# hackneyed

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈhækniyd/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈhæknid/

## Meanings
1. made trite and unoriginal through overuse

## Examples
- Her speech was full of hackneyed phrases that no one really heard anymore.

## Synonyms
- trite
- cliched
- banal
- stale
- overused
- commonplace
- threadbare
- platitudinous

## Antonyms
- original
- fresh
- novel
- innovative

## Related Forms
- hackney

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: hakeney

## Etymology
From hackney ('a horse for hire', hence 'worn out by overuse'), probably from the place name Hackney in London, where horses were pastured; the adjective means 'made commonplace through overuse'.

## AI Etymology
Hackneyed comes from hackney ('a horse for hire', hence 'worn out by overuse'), probably from the place name Hackney in London, where horses were pastured; the adjective means 'made commonplace through overuse'. The etymological trail includes Middle English hakeney. As an adjective, hackneyed describes what is made trite and unoriginal through overuse. The same family is visible in related forms such as hackney. The wording should be read with that uncertainty intact: the proposed connection is plausible rather than absolute.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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