cliché 1 of 2

adjective

variants also cliche
Definition of clichénext
as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull a cliché tale of lust and betrayal among the fabulously rich

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cliché

2 of 2

noun

klē-ˈshā How to pronounce cliché (audio)
variants also cliche
as in generalization
an idea or expression that has been used by many people try to write a love story without resorting to well-worn clichés

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
What this has led to is mandating employees to start conversations — the current cliche is asking what the client is doing for the rest of the day — that are both intrusive and time-consuming. — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026 The Professional is a sly inversion of — and indulgent celebration of — action cliches, made at a time when action movies were ubiquitous but often redundant, featuring a succession of distinctly European stars like Schwarzenegger and Van Damme. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026 Plus, at the risk of sounding cliche, our culture is our weapon. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 The ballet became a hilarious parody of Wagnerian cliches as a cartwheeling child wearing sneakers with rainbow lights and dressed in gold, resembling statues of the composer, presided in front of a faux Bayreuth proscenium. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cliché
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliché
  1. stereotyped
  2. generalization
  3. tired
  4. platitude
  5. hackneyed
  6. truism
  7. commonplace
  8. trope
Adjective
  • Despite their outer appearances and oftentimes stereotyped personalities, the ladies embrace each other’s depths and contradictions.
    — Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
  • This is a directed, stereotyped behavior in which the highest-resolution region of the somatosensory surface is brought to bear on the object requiring the most detailed analysis.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Definition of stereotyped
Noun
  • Age can be as much a distortion as gender, race, class, culture, or any other generalization.
    — Gloria Steinem, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Once a model reaches near-perfect performance, researchers need harder tests to separate genuine generalization from increasingly sophisticated task optimization.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of generalization
Adjective
  • That was especially common among Group of 6 fans, who are tired of watching their best players and coaches getting poached by wealthier programs.
    — Manny Navarro, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • As the fascination with Ernetti grows into something unhealthy, Béatrice subtly grows more tired, more distracted, more irritable and desperate for answers, small changes Sellier conveys with a smart sense of restraint.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of tired
Noun
  • In between some of the manager’s more clip-worthy quotes, there were more of his usual — and not incorrect — platitudes.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • And no, this isn’t the typical platitude a coach might share retroactively, after a former player becomes an all-time great.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of platitude
Adjective
  • Maybe so, but think of how badly Congress had stated those hackneyed ideas.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
  • 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
Definition of hackneyed
Noun
  • Wars cannot be fought on ideology alone – a truism that perhaps led to the firebrand former defense minister’s departure, after months of clashes and refusing to deal with the army top brass, as Zelensky describes it.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • But most politicians are pretty easily replaced, a truism that Moreno reinforced by going public.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of truism
Adjective
  • In addition to sharing that expertise with Mexican cartels, the use of drones in Colombia has also become commonplace among FARC dissident groups.
    — Sol Amaya, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Sponsored telecasting means free, over-the-air telecasts—the kind that were commonplace before cable television, when people placed antennas on their televisions or roofs to pick up signals from a handful of channels.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of commonplace
Noun
  • But despite tropes that paint our era as one of apathy and distraction, our reporting shows agency – individuals and communities putting aside differences to demand both fairness and the ability to define what matters.
    — Stephanie Hanes, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Even today Guadalajara's most forward-looking designers continue to experiment with these deeply rooted tropes, from the lyrical modulation of their city's radiant light to the proud application of local oficios.
    — Michael Snyder, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of trope

Browse Nearby Words

cleverness
cliché
clichéd
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Cite this Entry

“Cliché.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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