triter; tritest
: hackneyed or boring from much use : not fresh or original
tritely
adverb
triteness
noun
Examples of trite in a Sentence
The wrong sort of built environment, she argued, wrecked the social fabric of cities. This view seems almost trite today, but in the 1960's it was insurgent.
—
Robert Kuttner, New York Times Book Review, 12 Mar. 2000
Experts are always unique (their tritest pronouncements are packaged as news) …
—Wendy Kaminer, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 1990
Its wares are soiled with frequent handling; its styles are so hackneyed, trite, and homogeneous, they constitute a single style …
—Joyce Carol Oates, The Profane Art, 1983
That argument has become trite.
the speaker offered disappointingly trite sentiments about embracing each challenge as an opportunity
Robert Kuttner, New York Times Book Review, 12 Mar. 2000
Experts are always unique (their tritest pronouncements are packaged as news) …
—Wendy Kaminer, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 1990
Its wares are soiled with frequent handling; its styles are so hackneyed, trite, and homogeneous, they constitute a single style …
—Joyce Carol Oates, The Profane Art, 1983
That argument has become trite.
the speaker offered disappointingly trite sentiments about embracing each challenge as an opportunity
Recent Examples on the Web
But whatever personal motivation might lie behind the film is impossible to see in the final product — not in its boilerplate depiction of grief, not in its trite evocations of the occult.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
Where that much feels trite in its fear of the direction technology is taking us, the second theory is a refreshing alternative to the kind of anti-innovation hysteria that fuels so many sci-fi movies: What if AI could actually be a force for good?
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
One Battle After Another would never be so trite as to declare that the kids will save us.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
The play-calling was trite, the pre-snap energy was underwhelming, and the offensive line — without Ikem Ekwonu — took a step back.
—Mike Kaye
september 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trite
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Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
Where that much feels trite in its fear of the direction technology is taking us, the second theory is a refreshing alternative to the kind of anti-innovation hysteria that fuels so many sci-fi movies: What if AI could actually be a force for good?
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
One Battle After Another would never be so trite as to declare that the kids will save us.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
The play-calling was trite, the pre-snap energy was underwhelming, and the offensive line — without Ikem Ekwonu — took a step back.
—Mike Kaye
september 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trite
Cite this Entry
“Trite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trite. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
trite
adjective
triter; tritest
: so common that the newness or cleverness has worn off
a trite remark
tritely
adverb
triteness
noun
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