Hackneyed
adjective /ˈhækniːd/ — Overused to the point of being meaningless; a cliché.
Definition
Lacking originality; overused until it has lost its impact or meaning — a phrase, idea, or image worn smooth by repetition.
Beyond the definition
Hackneyed is the word for creative exhaustion made visible. Every field has its hackneyed phrases — the corporate buzzwords, the political slogans, the Instagram captions that were interesting when someone first used them and are now furniture.
Origin & history
From Hackney, a district of London, where horses were kept for hire. A hackney horse was one so overworked it had lost its spirit. By the 17th century, anything hired out too often — including language — could be called hackneyed.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The speech was full of hackneyed phrases — 'going forward', 'level the playing field', 'paradigm shift'.
She avoided hackneyed imagery in her poetry, searching always for the unexpected angle.
Even the most hackneyed metaphors were once fresh observations.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Hackneyed” when the meaning fits your context: Lacking originality; overused until it has lost its impact or meaning — a phrase, idea, or image worn smooth by repetition.
Synonyms
clichéd, trite, banal, tired, stale
Antonyms
original, fresh, inventive, novel
Related words
- cliché
- platitude
- bromide
- trite
Hackneyed vs clichéd
Clichéd is the broader term — any overused phrase, image, or idea. Hackneyed specifically implies something so frequently used that it has lost its original force and now sounds tired or empty. Clichés can be recognised while still being used with awareness; something hackneyed has been so thoroughly worn down that using it suggests a failure of thought. Clichéd describes the thing; hackneyed carries a mild judgment on the person using it.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Worn Smooth by Time
An old wooden chair is being slowly reclaimed by forest vines and mushrooms.
The chair’s form has been worn smooth by the process of deterioration. Like a hackneyed phrase that has lost its impact through constant repetition, the chair’s original design has faded, losing its distinctiveness as nature reclaims the wood.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Hackneyed" mean?
Hackneyed is adjective meaning: Overused to the point of being meaningless; a cliché.. Lacking originality; overused until it has lost its impact or meaning — a phrase, idea, or image worn smooth by repetition.
Where does the word "Hackneyed" come from?
From Hackney, a district of London, where horses were kept for hire. A hackney horse was one so overworked it had lost its spirit. By the 17th century, anything hired out too often — including language — could be called hackneyed.