as in cliche
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
"blondes have more fun" is a silly platitude
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of platitude
When any Democratic politician, including Gov. JB Pritzker, dares to stand up to extreme Republican rhetoric with any language beyond polite pablum and pious platitudes, pundits tell Democrats to lower the volume, cut the contempt and be nice.
—
Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
Retreats have this effect on a person, bring out in you the worst platitudes.
—Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025
Inconsistency is to be expected, especially after injury and so few meaningful minutes for the first team, but the positive words are not just easy platitudes: he is genuinely considered to apply himself well in training and present himself with professionalism.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
However, too often, sales kickoffs fall short of their potential, becoming mere exercises in rote presentations and motivational platitudes.
—Anjai Lal, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for platitude
Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
Retreats have this effect on a person, bring out in you the worst platitudes.
—Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025
Inconsistency is to be expected, especially after injury and so few meaningful minutes for the first team, but the positive words are not just easy platitudes: he is genuinely considered to apply himself well in training and present himself with professionalism.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
However, too often, sales kickoffs fall short of their potential, becoming mere exercises in rote presentations and motivational platitudes.
—Anjai Lal, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for platitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for platitude
Noun
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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
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Democrats kept presenting cliches as insights and old ideas as new ideas.—
Charlotte Alter,
Time,
19 May 2025
Noun
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According to Joyce, however, this truism depicts both Bloomsbury and the Victorians as monoliths and prevents a nuanced understanding of the complex ways Bloomsbury engaged with its Victorian past.—
Jenny Noyce,
JSTOR Daily,
14 May 2025
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Democrats who look to California for inspiration would do well to keep that simple truism in mind.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But behind such vague bromides are specific national qualities that social scientists can identify and measure.—
Michael J. Mazarr,
Foreign Affairs,
21 June 2022
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The teenage Miller invited Horowitz to speak at Santa Monica High School in the early aughts, entranced by his bromides against multiculturalism.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Platitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/platitude. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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