Standard Lemma guide

hackneyed

adj · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈhæk.nid/
  • [ˈhæknɪi̯d]
  • US: hăkʹnēd
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ækniːd
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AE1 K N IY0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Repeated too often.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The sermon was full of hackneyed phrases and platitudes.

Meaning relationships

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

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Let out for hire.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

simple past and past participle of hackney

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, participle, past

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • 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'

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: banal, commonplace, old-hat, shopworn, stock(a), threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, well-worn

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From hackney + -ed.

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: изтъркан (iztǎrkan) — repeated too often
  • Bulgarian: банален (banalen) — repeated too often
  • Bulgarian: шаблонен (šablonen) — repeated too often
  • Chinese Mandarin: 陳腐的 /陈腐的 (chénfǔ de) — repeated too often
  • Chinese Mandarin: 老生常談的 /老生常谈的 (lǎoshēngchángtán de) — repeated too often
  • Czech: otřepaný — repeated too often
  • Czech: ohraný — repeated too often
  • Czech: otřelý — repeated too often
  • Danish: fortærsket — repeated too often
  • Danish: klichéagtig — repeated too often
  • Danish: forslidt — repeated too often
  • Dutch: afgezaagd — repeated too often
  • Dutch: banaal — repeated too often
  • Finnish: kulunut — repeated too often
  • Finnish: kliseinen — repeated too often
  • French: rebattu — repeated too often
  • French: éculé — repeated too often
  • Galician: gastado — repeated too often
  • Galician: desgastado — repeated too often
  • Galician: luído — repeated too often
  • German: abgedroschen — repeated too often
  • German: abgenutzt — repeated too often
  • German: banal — repeated too often
  • German: ausgelutscht — repeated too often
  • German: abgegriffen — repeated too often
  • Greek: τετριμμένος (tetrimménos) — repeated too often
  • Greek: κοινότοπος (koinótopos) — repeated too often
  • Hebrew: נדוש (nadósh) — repeated too often
  • Hebrew: חבוט (khavút) — repeated too often
  • Hungarian: elcsépelt — repeated too often
  • Interlingua: banal — repeated too often
  • Interlingua: trivial — repeated too often
  • Japanese: 陳腐な (chimpu na) — repeated too often
  • Japanese: 常套の (jōtō) — repeated too often
  • Polish: banalny — repeated too often
  • Polish: oklepany — repeated too often
  • Polish: pospolity — repeated too often
  • Portuguese: banal — repeated too often
  • Portuguese: trivial — repeated too often
  • Portuguese: batido — repeated too often
  • Russian: изби́тый (izbítyj) — repeated too often
  • Russian: зата́сканный (zatáskannyj) — repeated too often
  • Russian: бана́льный (banálʹnyj) — repeated too often
  • Russian: шабло́нный (šablónnyj) — repeated too often
  • Russian: зае́зженный (zajézžennyj) — repeated too often
  • Serbo-Croatian: izlizan — repeated too often
  • Serbo-Croatian: banalan — repeated too often
  • Spanish: gastado — repeated too often
  • Spanish: trillado — repeated too often
  • Spanish: manido — repeated too often
  • Spanish: manoseado — repeated too often
  • Spanish: sobado — repeated too often
  • Spanish: traído y llevado — repeated too often
  • Spanish: tópico — repeated too often
  • Swedish: sliten — repeated too often
  • Swedish: banal — repeated too often
  • Swedish: utnött — repeated too often