variants
also cliche
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
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
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 26 June 2025
To fall back on one of horror marketing’s favorite cliches, the man has a twisted mind.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 26 June 2025
And the plot is just awful, crammed with so many cliches that you’re barely done chuckling at one before another kicks you in the head.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025
There’s a warmth to the movie that makes its cliches feel earned, not lazy.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
Wilson delivered platitudes and cliches at the podium, but ultimately so far, the offense’s play has not been anywhere close to good enough in the open practices thus far.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 5 June 2025
There’s the tired cliche that campaigns are fought in poetry and government is conducted in prose, but Trump’s clash with reality has been more stark than his more recent predecessors.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 14 May 2025
So at least in her case, the Wild West cliches hold pretty true.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 30 May 2025
Nonetheless, there is a satisfying, compact completeness to their handling of the storylines of four different young mothers and sufficient grace notes are enabled in each case to stave off the cliches that occasionally threaten to engulf events.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 23 May 2025
Noun
Answers vary from obvious to obscure, some citing culture or clutch performances, while others cling to cliches that this club is turning into truths.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 26 June 2025
To fall back on one of horror marketing’s favorite cliches, the man has a twisted mind.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 26 June 2025
And the plot is just awful, crammed with so many cliches that you’re barely done chuckling at one before another kicks you in the head.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025
There’s a warmth to the movie that makes its cliches feel earned, not lazy.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
Wilson delivered platitudes and cliches at the podium, but ultimately so far, the offense’s play has not been anywhere close to good enough in the open practices thus far.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 5 June 2025
There’s the tired cliche that campaigns are fought in poetry and government is conducted in prose, but Trump’s clash with reality has been more stark than his more recent predecessors.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 14 May 2025
So at least in her case, the Wild West cliches hold pretty true.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 30 May 2025
Nonetheless, there is a satisfying, compact completeness to their handling of the storylines of four different young mothers and sufficient grace notes are enabled in each case to stave off the cliches that occasionally threaten to engulf events.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 23 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliché
Adjective
-
Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
-
Their negative stereotyped reputation seems to follow them like ageism follows older employees or sexism follows female employees.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Provide constructive feedback on what worked well and what could be improved, focusing on specific actions rather than generalizations.—
Johnny C. Taylor Jr,
USA Today,
11 June 2025
-
Fortunately, many of the best remote job websites are already actively incorporating AI tools to help recruiters create powerful copy to find the most suitable candidates without resorting to ineffective generalizations.—
Dmytro Spilka,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
Mowing Lawns Homeowners are usually away on vacation or are probably too tired to maintain their yards.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
But, in Dick’s opinion, Charlie grew tired of baseball’s daily grind.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
Too often people send graduates out into the world with platitudes and lofty thoughts.—
Harry Kraemer,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
-
Starting with fawning platitudes, the relationship between the world's richest man and the world's most powerful man has come to an acrimonious end.—
Dan Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 June 2025
Adjective
-
This hackneyed stance has turned his concert performances shrill and hollow.—
Armond White,
National Review,
28 May 2025
-
Yet these hackneyed qualities are minor aspects of a production that otherwise can be eye-opening and newly invigorating.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The notion that Trump is the wrong answer to the right question has become something of a truism for liberals.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
23 June 2025
-
With Section 899, Republicans are trying to test the truism about two wrongs not making a right.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
The Second World War and the Red Scare drove him toward a quasi-mystical visual language, more Marc Chagall than Diego Rivera, that relied on a growing menu of tropes: masks, rubble, blind people, flames.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
24 June 2025
-
Federal prosecutors offered no rebuttal, which brought the day to an end with the trope of a whimper not a legal bang.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
Cross-promotional deals and product tie-ins have become commonplace in the past two decades, and gotten mainstream recognition for movies like Barbie and Wicked.—
Matt Craig,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
-
Over the past few decades, such affective polarization in the U.S. has become commonplace.—
James L. Gibson,
The Conversation,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cliché.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share