Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Something, such as merchandise or literature, that is inferior or shoddy.
- adj. Of inferior quality; cheap or shoddy.
Wiktionary
- n. Commodity that is shoddy or inferior.
- n. Tasteless comedy horror movies or theatre designed to shock people.
WordNet 3.0
- n. merchandise that is shoddy or inferior
Etymologies
- From Yiddish שלאַק (shlak), related to German Schlacke/Schlag. (Wiktionary)
- Possibly from Yiddish shlak, apoplexy, stroke, wretch, evil, nuisance, from Middle High German slag, slak, stroke, from slahen, to strike, from Old High German slahan. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The most apropos description of this cycle of inherent decrepitude is perhaps the Yiddish word schlock, meaning something "cheap, shoddy, or inferior.”
“LOL @ film snobs stumbling over themselves to completely dismiss it and come up with more and more obscure indie/arthouse schlock from the aughts.”
“Sam Raimi has shown in previous films that he always knows better than to take his movies 'subject matter too seriously, and he continues the tradition here, though some of the schlock is too blatant.”
“Although I like his use of the word schlock house.”
“Brooks fancies himself a sociologist/psychologist and his pop schlock is all angst and anxiety.”
“Blending what I read on the web and then TiVO’ing through the schlock is the way I enjoy it.”
“Too bad this movie couldn’t have been made in England like the Harry Potter movies to avoid all the schlock from the fashion and Hollywood communities.”
“I only wish we had more outlets for this type of film these days made by the same kind of schlock-meisters and starving creators with often bizarre ideas who made the originals.”
“I want to offer up the full text of the email just to shed light on the whole narcissism smear, to show what kind of schlock underpins it.”
Morgan Warners: New Republic Editor Evokes Fringe Email "Clinical Narcissism" Smear
“You expect this kind of schlock in January, but "Season of the Witch" isn't even bad in an enjoyable way.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘schlock’.
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Yiddishkeit
There are a few short lists of Yiddish words, but none appropriate to the glory of the language, and none that are open. Thought I'd start one, and would love contributions. I'm tagging as I go, an...
schmuck, nosh, chutzpah, shtick, kvetch, oy vey, oy gevalt, shvitz, shtik, shiksa, putz, mensch and 94 more...
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EN-HU - important words for a HU inte...
Words only (I left out the expressions) from Geza Kerenyi's EN-HU interpreters' dictionary. Most of them pose some difficulty when interpreted between HU and EN in either or both directions.
abalone, abrasive, abstractionist, abstruse, abysmal, academia, accessibility, accessible, acclimate, accolade, accompanist, achiever and 1469 more...
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End in -ock
Inspired by fbharjo (see spitchcock).
spitchcock, hillock, willock, peacock, pajock, penock, yapock, sycock, bittock, bawcock, burrock, cammock and 168 more...
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rolls off the tongue
Words you love saying because they feel and sound so good!
(Not to be conflated with words you love saying because they are onomatopoeic, I have another list for that)gubernatorial, predeliction, quibbling, propensity, proclivity, insidious, nebulous, garble, crabapple, piddling, prattle, wheedling and 11 more...
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mots justes
No true synonyms, no other word will do.
dysphemism, nyehre, conflate, onomatopœic, galumph, zeitgeist, mercenary, theomeny, git, snarky, sass, smarmy and 46 more...
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onomatopoeic
warble, quibble, quirk, drudgery, chortle, snicker, galumph, thwart, schlock, whimsy, garble, miffed and 25 more...
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words I love to use
kerfuffle, smarmy, sketchy, grim, wheedle, piffle, prattle, loggerheads, snarky, piddling, nix, caterwaul and 90 more...
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bintalshamsa's list
My Favorite Words
weltschmerz, perspicacity, idée fixe, invigilator, salubrious, tchotchke, ex nihilo, invidious, malapropism, naïve, sardonic, elide and 1459 more...
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anotherfailedattempt's Words
kakistocracy, conflagration, pollyanna, equanimity, punctillious, obstreperous, ribald, belligerent, truculent, verbose, lachrymose, onanism and 278 more...
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stpeter's Words
abase, abasement, abashed, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abhorrent, abide, abject, ablation, abnegation and 3536 more...
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Kaichi's Wordie Darlings, or I'm a Lo...
persnickety, discombobulated, braggadoccio, anthropomorphous, antelucan, confluxible, anomalous, poseur, gallivant, poppycock, falderal, gewgaw and 705 more...
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Angels and Demons Word list
behemoth, disquietude, exalted, heretical, schlock, delirium, precipice, infallible, fathom, fervent, cavern, ardent and 35 more...
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succinct
don't use a long word when a short one will do
huff, sass, shady, quirk, thwart, munge, kludge, kitsch, schlock, nix, tromp, trudge and 22 more...
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Very silly words
gobemouche, transmogrify, kerfuffle, flummery, cattywampus, splenetic, wodges, dromedary, schlock, carbuncle, squidgy, cummerbund and 8 more...
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dysphemisms
such rascally fun
boink, shit show, schlock, git, prattle, piffle, loggerheads, kerfuffle, angsty
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maesepedro's Words
wit, dignity, river, funk, rhythm, embezzlement, schlock, phraseology, shucks, catch, exchequer, retrocessonaire and 70 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for schlock.

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