hackneyed
adjective C2
Plain meaning
used so often that it feels boring and unoriginal
Exam-register meaning
clichéd, overused, and lacking freshness or originality
In context
naturalThe speech was full of hackneyed phrases about hard work and success.
examThe critic argues that the novel relies on hackneyed images of rural innocence.
Common collocations
hackneyed phrasehackneyed expressionhackneyed plot
Watch out
Hackneyed does not mean “complicated”; it means overused.
Word family
hackneyedness (noun, rare)