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Synonyms

potboiler

American  
[pot-boi-ler] / ˈpɒtˌbɔɪ lər /

noun

  1. a mediocre work of literature or art produced merely for financial gain.

potboiler British  
/ ˈpɒtˌbɔɪlə /

noun

  1. informal a literary or artistic work of little merit produced quickly in order to make money

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of potboiler

First recorded in 1860–65; pot 1 + boiler

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And there's a cheeky riposte to their critics on the jazzy potboiler They Don't Know 'Bout Us: "You say we changed? We feel the same."

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

William Golding wrote his tale partially in response to “The Coral Island,” a Victorian-era potboiler about three boys who survive a shipwreck thanks to their bluff resourcefulness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

“Fox” has the bones of a potboiler but is supported by the sinew of the author’s elegant structure and syntax.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2025

In that potboiler, a film he later disavowed as too tame, he was publicized as the first Black matinee idol for mainstream audiences.

From Washington Post • Apr. 25, 2023

I went into the house to fetch the required sum, and, by some means I cannot explain, got to work again upon the latest potboiler.

From Mr. Punch in Bohemia by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.