trite

adjective

ˈtrīt 

triter; tritest

: hackneyed or boring from much use : not fresh or original

Trite as it may sound, in making money it is often the tortoise, not the hare, that wins the race.

—Kenneth L. Fisher

tritely adverb

triteness noun

Synonyms of trite

• stereotyped
• tired
• hackneyed
• commonplace
• clichéd

Choose the Right Synonym for trite

trite, hackneyed, stereotyped, threadbare mean lacking the freshness that evokes attention or interest.

trite applies to a once effective phrase or idea spoiled from long familiarity.

"you win some, you lose some" is a trite expression

hackneyed stresses being worn out by overuse so as to become dull and meaningless.

all of the metaphors and images in the poem are hackneyed

stereotyped implies falling invariably into the same pattern or form.

views of minorities that are stereotyped and out-of-date

threadbare applies to what has been used until its possibilities of interest have been totally exhausted.

a mystery novel with a threadbare plot

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

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

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin trītus "worn by rubbing, (of clothes) threadbare, (of practices) familiar, common, (of words or expressions) commonly used," from past participle of terere "to rub, grind, wear down," going back to Indo-European *terh₁- "rub, bore," whence also Greek teírein "to wear down, exhaust," téretron "auger," Old Church Slavic tĭrǫ, trĭti or trŭti "to rub," Lithuanian tiriù, tìrti "to investigate, find out" (< "wear down with questions"), trinù, trìnti "to rub"

Note: Regarding further connections with Indo-European *terh₁- see note at throw entry 1. The past participle trītus and perfect trīvī presuppose *trei̯h₁- or *treh₁i-. M. de Vaan (Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages) suggests an original athematic present *térh₁-i- / *trh₁-ei̯-. Compare trībulum "threshing board" (see tribulation). Note also Greek trī́bein "to rub, chafe, grind, wear down" (see tribo-).

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for trite

• bight
• bite
• blight
• byte
• cite
• dight
• fight
• fite
• flight
• fright
• height
• hight

Kids Definition

trite

adjective

ˈtrīt 

triter; tritest

: so common that the newness or cleverness has worn off

a trite remark

tritely adverb

triteness noun