hackneyed

hack-neyed · adjective

imported

Definitions

adjective

  1. 1.

    (Of a phrase, idea, or expression) lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite.

  2. 2.

    Made commonplace or trite through overuse.

Related words

Antonyms: fresh, novel, original
See also: banal, cliché, trite
Synonyms: banal, cliched, overused, trite

Etymology

From hackney, originally a horse kept for hire, hence "much used," leading to the figurative sense of "overused" by the 18th century.