trite

1 of 2

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

triteness

2 of 2

noun

trite·​ness

plural -es

: the quality of being trite

there was a certain triteness in these reflections

—Edith Wharton

camera work of almost unbelievable triteness and stodginess

—Newsweek

Synonyms of trite

Adjective

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views of minorities that are stereotyped and out-of-date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

Adjective

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

Adjective

There is no cultural ethnic pandering, no consideration to what, in this context, would have been a trite idea of diversity and inclusion. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 1 June 2026

But Hacks never really engaged with the complexity of those disclosures, and by Kathy’s brief appearance this final season, she’s smoothed out into a trite obstacle in Ava’s quest to reboot Deborah’s old sitcom. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 May 2026

The advice itself is, as good advice often is, trite. — Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

Jim Queen feeds into (and off of) the trite tribalism of so much creaky gay fiction, but ultimately wants to tear down that paradigm and establish a healthy kind of pluralism for all M4Ms. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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

Adjective

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