as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull
people at the funeral offered the grieving family well-worn platitudes and expressions of sympathy
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Recent Examples of well-worn
The New York subway system was one of Keith Haring’s most beloved and well-worn canvases.
—
Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024
The we’re-never-going-to-play-together-again-to-lucrative-reunion trail is well-worn at this point — just ask such famously feuding acts as the Eagles, Guns ‘N Roses, Pixies and, most recently and famously, Oasis: If there’s a windfall, there’s a way.
—Jeff Miller, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024
The ship generally looks good for its age, but some parts appeared well-worn.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 16 June 2024
An inter-generational audience of 200 attendees gathered at Oak Park’s Guild Theater, many with copies of The 1619 Project book, some well-worn, adorned with bookmarks and annotations, and others had never been opened before, having been bought minutes earlier at the entrance booth in preparation.
—Acsah Lemma, Sacramento Bee, 18 June 2024
Costume designer Kiyoshi Shaw provides outfits that helpfully remind you of the show’s early 20th century time period yet also seem natural, comfortable and well-worn.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2024
After the Renaissance and Impressionism, maybe the most well-worn.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
So, of course, this means Christina Aguilera could not possibly continue on this now well-worn — albeit still undeniably chic — path.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 5 Feb. 2024
The story of Peter and Harry’s tense friendship is not nearly as well-worn as the deaths of Peter’s Uncle Ben or Batman’s parents.
—Gene Park, Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2023
Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024
The we’re-never-going-to-play-together-again-to-lucrative-reunion trail is well-worn at this point — just ask such famously feuding acts as the Eagles, Guns ‘N Roses, Pixies and, most recently and famously, Oasis: If there’s a windfall, there’s a way.
—Jeff Miller, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024
The ship generally looks good for its age, but some parts appeared well-worn.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 16 June 2024
An inter-generational audience of 200 attendees gathered at Oak Park’s Guild Theater, many with copies of The 1619 Project book, some well-worn, adorned with bookmarks and annotations, and others had never been opened before, having been bought minutes earlier at the entrance booth in preparation.
—Acsah Lemma, Sacramento Bee, 18 June 2024
Costume designer Kiyoshi Shaw provides outfits that helpfully remind you of the show’s early 20th century time period yet also seem natural, comfortable and well-worn.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2024
After the Renaissance and Impressionism, maybe the most well-worn.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
So, of course, this means Christina Aguilera could not possibly continue on this now well-worn — albeit still undeniably chic — path.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 5 Feb. 2024
The story of Peter and Harry’s tense friendship is not nearly as well-worn as the deaths of Peter’s Uncle Ben or Batman’s parents.
—Gene Park, Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for well-worn
Adjective
-
Tragedies can be examined by those outside of its sphere of destruction, but the groundswell of feeling from Mexican viewers and critics is that there was little or no care taken to understand the cultural grief beyond stereotyped spectacle.—
Lucy Ford,
TIME,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Founded by artists who grew up in Maryvale, Salcido said the purpose of Labor is to be the bridge that shows the artistic capacity and potential of Maryvale because the neighborhood is too often stereotyped, underrepresented and ignored.—
David Ulloa Jr,
The Arizona Republic,
6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Sleep deprivation comes with real costs Chronic sleep deprivation does more than leave people tired.—
Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Markets grow tired of tariff changes U.S. stocks tumbled Thursday on tariff flip-flop fatigue.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The movie’s a little more hackneyed and obvious now, but its central idea is still an undeniably creepy one: possessed children with pitchforks.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Which is a nauseatingly hackneyed and clichéd — not to mention stupefyingly reductive — type of statement to make about any kind of art or entertainment, of course.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
3 Sep. 2019
Adjective
-
In a world were hard skills are commonplace, connections are currency.—
Chris Westfall,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
-
By that point, however, such rhetoric was commonplace among Russia’s growing movement of neo-imperialists, and a rebuke from the traditional intelligentsia was a badge of honor.—
James Verini,
The New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Well-worn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/well-worn. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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