cliché 1 of 2

variants also cliche
Definition of clichénext

cliché

2 of 2

noun

variants also cliche

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 cliché
Noun
There’s a reason for the myriad cliches in baseball. Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 15 Apr. 2026 Across the album, Blake uses hyper-specific details like this to make the project feel personal without being obvious or cliche. Donald Morrison, Pitchfork, 14 Apr. 2026 Matching furniture sets and too-small rugs are living room cliches to avoid. Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 13 Apr. 2026 The oldest, most enduring cliche about government policy is the one about how budgets are political, not fiscal, documents. Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026 Nautical influence runs through the merchandise without tipping into cliche. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2026 The dialogue is overladen with snicker-worthy cliches, a swelling, melodramatic soundtrack that doesn’t match the mood, dubious cameos and plastic, perfunctory life-affirming quotes. Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026 Playing to the occasion Time for some of the cliches. Thom Harris, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026 Lines can be set for how many political cliches Trump uses, the number of interruptions from the audience, the total times a person is shown on camera, etc. James Powel, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliché
Adjective
  • Kelly Enders-Tharp, a three-time surrogate and education and experience specialist at Growing Generations, explains that surrogates are often stereotyped, or that their backgrounds are misrepresented.
    Kris Ann Valdez, Parents, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Later, Lenape artist Joe Baker places cutout photographs of his ancestors over the stereotyped images of Native Americans found in the wallpaper.
    Tom McDonough, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Experiments show early signs of compositional generalization, where the model recombines learned skills to solve new problems.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Unlike vision and language, robotics lacks large, diverse datasets that span tasks, environments, and embodiments, thus limiting both scalability and generalization.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • However, his attempts to introduce a more aggressive man-for-man pressing style also place higher physical demands on already tired players.
    Cerys Jones, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Even the film’s critic-defying, pinky-swearing fanbase may be disappointed in the barebones production, jarring plotting, tired dialogue and ham-handed staging.
    Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Neville is smart enough as a documentarian to leave out platitudes, but also to let access to Michaels’ Maine retreat be a vibe rather than some knockout reveal.
    Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
  • But for UConn, the platitudes feel profoundly honest.
    Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • While not exactly a feminist screed, the script grants nary a free pass to the glut of hackneyed gender conventions in the golden-age canon without at least cracking a joke.
    Naveen Kumar, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The plot never gets more complex than that at any point, but the game's use of these hackneyed story elements and themes is agile and smart.
    Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 18 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Ever since, intelligence officers have ruefully invoked that truism whenever they’re blamed for a major screwup.
    Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026
  • But, travel experts say, that truism doesn't apply during this tumultuous period.
    ANDREA SACHS THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In the classic trope of stage magic, Jim lets members of the audience see the balls get placed into two boxes, mixed up, and given to Alice and Bob.
    Matt von Hippel, Quanta Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Indeed, the script is full of jokes about theatrical types and tropes.
    Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Time, for instance, is a fundamental concept that is at once enigmatic and commonplace.
    Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
  • As that new thing became commonplace, the Rays would seek another.
    Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Cliché.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

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