bromides

plural of bromide
as in platitudes
an idea or expression that has been used by many people a newspaper editorial offering the timeworn bromide that people should settle their differences peacefully

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bromides The president used similar bromides in private calls to assuage allies, including Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, before launching the war in February, according to people familiar with the conversations. Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026 While these songs might appear to be somewhat straightforward EBM that wear their politics on their latex sleeve, there’s a level of ambiguity at work that moves Kissing Luck Goodbye past its own bromides and into deeper artistic territory. Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 16 Apr. 2026 Disruption without construction Instructors burned out with the current situation endure a barrage of repetitive bromides. ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026 Despite their clear affection for these women, the Dardenne brothers never sugarcoat their characters’ unenviable circumstance or latch onto phony bromides to alleviate our anxiety. Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026 There is a reason why the apocalyptic bromides about the state of print haven’t come to fruition, other than for disposable periodicals and newspapers. Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025 These films explore those bonds without ever resorting to bromides or mawkishness. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Nov. 2025 There is an outright rejection of bromides that would give us some conclusion of reassurance. Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025 Incidents of such poisoning saw a sharp decline when the Food and Drug Administration phased out the use of bromides in pharmaceuticals between the mid 70s and late 1980s. Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bromides
Noun
  • Victor Lindelof’s pre-match comments smacked of bombast and confidence, the sort of words which are said but not meant, platitudes used to motivate rather than to be sworn under oath.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 15 June 2026
  • What is in danger is that this will strip away the soul, the raw humanity actors like Jim Handy brough to each role and replace it with flat, generalized platitudes.
    Carl Kurlander, Deadline, 13 June 2026
Noun
  • One effect of this austerity and repression is to focus attention on Albee’s language, with its slippery banalities and barbs.
    Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
  • As far back as the Victorian era, exchanging a few banalities was part of a veritable social code—a way of signaling both politeness and boundaries.
    Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • Spain’s success over the past five years has undermined many long-standing political-economic truisms.
    Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
  • The play isn’t subtle; the final sequence leans hard on truisms about addiction and trauma, which are affecting but overly explicit.
    Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Dear Annabelle makes adorable place cards that have witty sayings or a theme.
    Mark Seliger, Vulture, 22 June 2026
  • Their advice and memorable sayings reveal lessons of perseverance, faith and integrity — values that continue to influence generations that follow.
    Yolanda Harris, AJC.com, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • With 30 rooms, including 13 suites, all with views of the Dolomites, the interiors depart from familiar alpine tropes.
    Rachel Ingram, Robb Report, 21 June 2026
  • In that episode, there is a very direct conversation about tropes and specifically the crazy-ex-girlfriend trope regarding Arthur’s ex, Narcissa, played by Anna Camp.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • In the medieval town of Belvì, men roast chestnuts—marroni—over an open fire in a frying pan the size of a swimming pool and then serve them to the crowd by shoveling them into troughs.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
  • Canned Water Chestnuts Fresh water chestnuts, while hard to find, are sweeter and juicier than canned varieties, with a cleaner, more pronounced crunch.
    Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bromides.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bromides. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.

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