cliché 1 of 2

adjective

variants also cliche
Definition of clichénext
as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull a cliché tale of lust and betrayal among the fabulously rich

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cliché

2 of 2

noun

klē-ˈshā How to pronounce cliché (audio)
variants also cliche
as in generalization
an idea or expression that has been used by many people try to write a love story without resorting to well-worn clichés

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 cliché
Noun
Many of the cliches about this compact, one-club city hold true. — George Caulkin, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025 But my money’s on Baker, one of the world’s finest filmmakers who tells stories about characters Hollywood so often turns into cliches and leaves behind. — Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliché
  1. stereotyped
  2. generalization
  3. tired
  4. platitude
  5. hackneyed
  6. truism
  7. trope
  8. commonplace
Adjective
  • Tragedies can be examined by those outside of its sphere of destruction, but the groundswell of feeling from Mexican viewers and critics is that there was little or no care taken to understand the cultural grief beyond stereotyped spectacle.
    — Lucy Ford, TIME, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Founded by artists who grew up in Maryvale, Salcido said the purpose of Labor is to be the bridge that shows the artistic capacity and potential of Maryvale because the neighborhood is too often stereotyped, underrepresented and ignored.
    — David Ulloa Jr, The Arizona Republic, 6 Dec. 2024
Definition of stereotyped
Noun
  • The intervention in the study is too short to make any generalizations about long-term health impacts, says Fryer.
    — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 6 Feb. 2025
  • The American Kennel Club also reminded readers that these are generalizations, and that most dogs can be trained to live peacefully with cats.
    — Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Definition of generalization
Adjective
  • Selections from the trio’s synth-heavy mid-Eighties years sound sturdier than ever within the grand sweep of Rush 50, defying the tired rock-purist take that the trio strayed too far during this period.
    — Hank Shteamer, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Absorb punches until Trump tires himself out or, more likely, the American people get tired of all the chaos and disruption.
    — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of tired
Noun
  • The film follows an ensemble of campers who are weary of platitudes about grief, and speak to one another from a place of radical honesty that is by turns heartbreaking and darkly hilarious, embracing irreverent humor as a cathartic means of self-expression.
    — Addie Morfoot, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
  • The members simply rounded up the usual suspects of platitudes.
    — Vincent Turley, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2025
Definition of platitude
Adjective
  • The movie’s a little more hackneyed and obvious now, but its central idea is still an undeniably creepy one: possessed children with pitchforks.
    — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Which is a nauseatingly hackneyed and clichéd — not to mention stupefyingly reductive — type of statement to make about any kind of art or entertainment, of course.
    — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Definition of hackneyed
Noun
  • Murphy is now closing in on 200 senior appearances for Newcastle which isn’t bad, all things considered, and the last blissful month has only served to reinforce an old truism that the best teams are not always formed of the players who glitter most.
    — George Caulkin, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
  • This truism sits at the very heart of Republicans' fight over a grand budget deal.
    — Axios, Axios, 27 Feb. 2025
Definition of truism
Noun
  • As quickly as the Oakland Parks Department paints over these hateful tropes, fresh ones appear.
    — Mark Cohen, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Blood Typers also makes use of a lot of the familiar survival-horror game tropes for increasing that tension, including strict limits on ammunition and inventory space.
    — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of trope
Adjective
  • Robot backflips are becoming commonplace, but a front flip is significantly more difficult than a backflip, as any gymnast can attest.
    — Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, Fox News, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Committee reassignments are commonplace in the Legislature, and politics can seep in.
    — Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2025
Definition of commonplace

Browse Nearby Words

cliché
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cliché.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All