SHIBBOLETHS Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

shibboleths

noun

plural of shibboleth

as in slogans

an attention-getting word or phrase used to publicize something (as a campaign or product) we knew that their claim of giving "the best deal in town" was just a shibboleth

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in clichés

an idea or expression that has been used by many people there's a lot of truth in the shibboleth that if you give some people an inch, they'll take a mile

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

profundities

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shibboleths The director scores easy laughs off of modern-day progressive shibboleths such as gender-fluid pronouns, trigger warnings and Native American land acknowledgments. — Gustavo Arellano, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shibboleths

Noun

Video showed locals draped in Spanish flags, shouting anti-migrant slogans, and singing Spanish songs, torching the camp and throwing migrants’ belongings in the Mediterranean or into bonfires.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026
The official account for the Pentagon’s chief technology officer, Emil Michael, has posted propaganda using Q catchphrases as military slogans.

— Matthew N. Hannah, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of slogans

Noun

Spain’s success over the past five years has undermined many long-standing political-economic truisms.

— Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
The play isn’t subtle; the final sequence leans hard on truisms about addiction and trauma, which are affecting but overly explicit.

— Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2026

Definition of truisms

Noun

Trump will depart sooner or later, the banners will be torn down and much of his petty talk will be and should be forgotten.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
This led to protests at home games, including banners, removing flags from The Kop and a ‘not a pound in the ground’ initiative, where supporters were encouraged not to purchase anything inside the ground.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of banners

Noun

In between some of the manager’s more clip-worthy quotes, there were more of his usual — and not incorrect — platitudes.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Today, Instagram unveiled a refresh of its wordmark, accompanied by the usual bland corporate platitudes these kinds of announcements are always packaged with.

— Aurich Lawson, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of platitudes

Noun

The president used similar bromides in private calls to assuage allies, including Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, before launching the war in February, according to people familiar with the conversations.

— Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026
While these songs might appear to be somewhat straightforward EBM that wear their politics on their latex sleeve, there’s a level of ambiguity at work that moves Kissing Luck Goodbye past its own bromides and into deeper artistic territory.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 16 Apr. 2026

Definition of bromides

Noun

Then morning would come, with all the banalities that drew them apart.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
And even though access to such banalities may sound brain-deadening, and at best dull, some of the most famous people in the world are now live-streamers.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of banalities

Noun

As part of their annual Halloween decor drop, Anthropologie released Halloween bistro tile items that blend classic motifs and sayings with the Bistro Tile Collection’s Parisian style.

— Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Aug. 2026
Teachers of science, mathematics and English were expected to include Quranic verses, sayings and traditions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad or other religious messages in their lessons.

— Fatima Faizi, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of sayings

Browse Nearby Words

shibboleth

shibboleths

shied

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Shibboleths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shibboleths. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of shibboleths

noun

Example Sentences

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