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What is the Difference Between cliché and stereotype?
The words cliché and stereotype have a good deal in common. Both come from French, both were originally printers’ terms, and both have come to take on somewhat negative meanings in modern use.
Their original meanings are essentially synonymous, referring to printing blocks from which numerous prints could be made. In fact, cliché means stereotype in French. Their modern meanings, however, are quite distinct. Cliché is today overwhelmingly encountered in reference to something hackneyed, such as an overly familiar or commonplace phrase, theme, or expression. Stereotype is most frequently now employed to refer to an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic.
Examples of cliché in a Sentence
William F. Buckley, Jr., National Review, 1 May 2000
FILM "I Like It Like That": It has every cliché of the 'hood genre, elevated by a strong woman protagonist and a few comic moments.
—Bell Hooks, Ms., September/October 1994
I'd never been out with a model before, so I hadn't even bargained on the cliché of the rock star and the model as being part of my life.
—David Bowie, quoted in Rolling Stone, 10 June 1993
Time has been the best healer for the pain of loss, just as the old cliché says, but letting go is still difficult.
—Lynn McAndrews, My Father Forgets, 1990
… don't seek the ultimate, general solution; find a corner that can be defined precisely and, as our new cliché proclaims, go for it.
—Stephen Jay Gould, Natural History, July 1987
a speech filled with clichés about “finding your way” and “keeping the faith”
The macho cop of Hollywood movies has become a cliché.
Matt Donnelly, Variety, 14 Jan. 2026
The best songs use Natanya’s dense web of ideas to reflect on opaque emotions that stubbornly refuse to be reduced to cliche.
—H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 13 Jan. 2026
Guttural noises aside, Romo was also called out for his use of cliches and what some said were obvious calls.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
Their love scene in the rain, while obviously less visually spectacular than in the film, plunges headlong into romantic cliches that manage to get the job done despite their obviousness.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
What sports or politics cliche resonates the most with you?
—Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 22 Dec. 2025
People want stories — that’s a cliche for a reason.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 2025
Along with the small-town cliche of secrets abounding, there are fresh touches that add whimsy to this story of two families entwined through times of peace and war.
—The Know, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025
For an attorney’s brand to really stand out in the marketplace, their billboard has to go beyond old cliches.
—Adam M. Rosen, thehustle.co, 12 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cliché.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clich%C3%A9. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cliché
noun
French, literally, "metal printing plate"
