Shibboleth

Quick meaning: Shibboleth is a noun meaning A particular pronunciation or custom that is regarded as distinguishing members of a group from non-members, especially when used as a test.

Meaning

A particular pronunciation or custom that is regarded as distinguishing members of a group from non-members, especially when used as a test.

More Meanings

1. A common or longstanding belief, custom, or catchphrase associated with a particular group, especially one with little current meaning or truth.

Example Sentences

It's about time we abandoned the bourgeois shibboleth that earning money makes you a better person.

In recent times, the correct treatment of initial h in speech has come to be regarded as a kind of shibboleth of social position.

I pose the iconoclastic suggestion that even at this late stage in B.R. dieselisation, rigid standardisation might be a shibboleth.

The truth is that I found success by stumbling off alone in a direction most people thought was a dead end, breaking all the 1990s shibboleths about children’s books in the process.

Word Forms

• shibboleths
• shiboleth

Synonyms for shibboleth

Depending on context, synonyms include motto, slogan, catchword.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include slogan, catchword, motto, distinctive, shibah, shofar.

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