trope
noun
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Definition of trope
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Synonyms for trope
Synonyms
banality, bromide, chestnut, cliché (also cliche), commonplace, groaner, homily, platitude, shibboleth, truism
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Examples of trope in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This false equivalence between Nazis and Israel is a trope on the left, where anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism elide. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Education and Anti-Semitism," 28 Nov. 2018 In the past people have sent her images of herself photoshopped to resemble a gorilla, which is a trope frequently used to degrade people of color. — Mikelle Street, Billboard, "Shangela, Shea Couleé & Aja Discuss Racism in the 'Drag Race' Fandom," 5 Apr. 2018 Time travel is a tricky proposition — science fiction has endlessly explored the possibilities and consequences of changing the past or future, and Tom Sweterlitsch’s book is a complicated take on the trope. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Our favorite science fiction and fantasy books of 2018," 21 Dec. 2018 Stanley focuses on propaganda and rhetoric, so his book is largely about the tropes and narratives that drive fascist politics. — Sean Illing, Vox, "A Yale philosopher on fascism, truth, and Donald Trump.," 15 Dec. 2018 Like a map legend denoting various topographical symbols, this image seems to touch on all the major themes for the Madrid-based 24-year-old: cinematic references and outlandish self-styling; gender tropes and self-discovery in the digital age. — Laura Regensdorf, Vogue, "Meet the Madrid Artist Whose Cinematic Beauty Looks Are Straight out of an Almodovar Movie," 23 Aug. 2018 In the hands of creators like Brock Akil, DuVernay, and McCraney, OWN is shattering old tropes and stereotypes about black identity. — Jason Parham, WIRED, "How Oprah’s Network Finally Found Its Voice," 19 June 2018 But the real romance here was with the clothes—and with myriad winter (fashion) tropes. — Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, "Once Upon a Time a Snowflake Fell for a Polar Bear—At a Moncler Gamme Rouge Show," 28 Dec. 2018 The Grizzled Old Timer and Cocky Rookie is a pretty classic buddy cop trope, but given the tone of Sharp Objects that’s probably not quite where Willis and Vickery are headed. — Emma Dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Sharp Objects Episode 2 Recap: Appearances Are Everything," 16 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trope.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Statistics for trope
Last Updated
10 Feb 2019
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for trope
The first known use of trope was before the 12th century
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More Definitions for trope
trope
noun
English Language Learners Definition of trope
See the full definition for trope in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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