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 is an old cliche about the difficulty of coaching national teams in football. The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026 The Western is sort of stoked with a forge full of cliches. Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 Feb. 2026 Right-hander James Karinchak There’s a tired baseball cliche likening upside plays to lottery tickets. Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 9 Feb. 2026 Falling iguanas have become a Florida cliche at this point, but this cold snap was the most brutal since 2010. Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026 Dubs’ character, Aleister, isn’t a saint or a martyr, cliche or stereotype. Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 1 Feb. 2026 The cliches of Hollywood endings notwithstanding, Cumming is happy and at peace. Jonathan Borge, InStyle, 29 Jan. 2026 Cue the cliche mother-daughter heart-to-heart in the third act, which Mullally actually does sell. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026 So, as media day unfolded Saturday, the coach offered a flow of cliches and sayings. Noah White, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliché
Adjective
  • 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
  • Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.
    Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • This is a generalization, of course, and many only children are very social with other kids.
    Cynthia Hanson, Parents, 17 Feb. 2026
  • Those decisions remain governed by statute and must be based on individualized assessments, not generalizations.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Nanos must also be tired of talking, though that one is on him.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Aiona has grown tired of spending his retirement telling park-goers to stop feeding the chickens.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Many use cases are still being deployed or piloted, and the agency’s AI database is filled with jargon and platitudes that, in many instances, can be interpreted in multiple ways.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Google is famous for dodging questions by reciting platitudes on its calls.
    Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • But the movie drifts into hackneyed melodrama that sits awkwardly against the gritty canvas of terrorist incidents, sniper attacks, bombings and police checkpoints.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 12 Feb. 2026
  • This is actually better than some of the hackneyed rom-coms Reiner muddled through, a coming-of-age story about two kids’ pseudo-love story from grade school through middle school.
    Will Leitch, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • One of the truisms in the past for Team Canada at some best-on-best events is needing a few games to find its game.
    Pierre LeBrun, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
  • What’s happening now underscores that truism.
    Dan Walters, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • In the book, the trope is introduced when Lockwood sleeps in Catherine’s childhood bed and is visited by her girl-ghost wandering the moors, demanding to be let in.
    Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Between jokes about research funding and the scientific questions that might arise upon spotting a fuzzy pink Tyrannosaurus rex on a strange planet, Lemming uses her protagonist, Dory, to poke fun at romance tropes and graduate student woes alike.
    Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • All-cash offers, including in Boise and its surrounding suburbs, became commonplace and spurred bidding wars that drove up housing prices, Michael Megis, a longtime broker also with the Homes of Idaho real estate firm, said in an interview.
    Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
  • McTier said Disney’s deal with OpenAI is an example of the kind of partnership that should become more commonplace.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 9 Feb. 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 22 Feb. 2026.

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