hackneyed.

Used so often that it feels stale and unoriginal.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a hackneyed phrase
• a hackneyed plot

On the page

The editor cut the hackneyed image and kept the precise physical detail.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Comparative more hackneyed; superlative most hackneyed when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character. Commonness: moderately common.