as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull
the film's clichéd story of an underdog who overcomes insurmountable odds to win
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Recent Examples of clichéd
A day to profile that cliched ‘Manchester United DNA’.
—
Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The negotiation chatter between Sam and train authorities is tightly intercut with Marsha confronting danger in a cabin in the woods, a rather cliched side story that doesn’t add much.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
There are only states of being — all stories have become obsolete and cliched, and have resolved themselves.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In one rather cliched moment, Springsteen is buying his first new car.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside him, the scared but somehow quietly reassuring presence of Ferrera leavens the potential for cliched action-hero theatrics by giving the film a rare but for once very real sense of peril.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Zod’s rages sound like an angry man threatening someone from the other side of a parking lot, not the cliched snarling of too many comic-book movie villains.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2025
The confident smile the until then timid Giulio wears on his face as a result is equally cliched.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2025
Crossing off cliched character traits like orders on her waitressing pad, Lori is the daughter of a disgraced widow cop.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 May 2025
Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The negotiation chatter between Sam and train authorities is tightly intercut with Marsha confronting danger in a cabin in the woods, a rather cliched side story that doesn’t add much.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
There are only states of being — all stories have become obsolete and cliched, and have resolved themselves.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In one rather cliched moment, Springsteen is buying his first new car.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside him, the scared but somehow quietly reassuring presence of Ferrera leavens the potential for cliched action-hero theatrics by giving the film a rare but for once very real sense of peril.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Zod’s rages sound like an angry man threatening someone from the other side of a parking lot, not the cliched snarling of too many comic-book movie villains.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2025
The confident smile the until then timid Giulio wears on his face as a result is equally cliched.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2025
Crossing off cliched character traits like orders on her waitressing pad, Lori is the daughter of a disgraced widow cop.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clichéd
Adjective
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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
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Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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While a few icons have grown tired (like the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and Eden Roc Miami Beach, missing from this list), several have recently poured money into renovations, including the Mayfair House and Gardens; Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, which just reopened; and the Delano Miami.—
Devorah Lev-Tov,
Robb Report,
5 Feb. 2026
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Bell remembered during the Stars on Ice tour in 2022 when the skaters rolled into a new city, tired, groggy and sore from the long bus ride, Liu, dressed in a baggy hoodie and billowing sweatpants, could go on the ice and throw perfect jumps without warning.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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On the first real mission in the jungle region of Fury Green, Samus encounters a Galactic Federation technician named Myles Mackenzie who, from his reveal in the pre-release previews, became a sticking point for fans due to his hackneyed sidekick trappings.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
2 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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On its surface, the words could be seen as trite coach speak.—
Rustin Dodd,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Its first season felt like a preamble – slow and trite.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clichéd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9d. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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