variants
also cliches
as in tropes
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
try to write a love story without resorting to well-worn clichés
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of clichés
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
Hedda’s romantic picture — of Lovborg dying magnificently, with Dionysian vine leaves in his hairs, from a bullet of one of her own guns — smacks of the same literary cliches that has Emma fantasizing about a torchlight wedding at midnight.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 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
His voice waxed poetic about Louisiana and its beauty while also critiquing the cliches rendered as the only acceptable terms to discuss a place that exceeds description.
—Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
While the house avoids the cowboy cliches that overwhelm many Hill Country homes, Hardin did allow a few understated nods to the style to seep in.
—Richard A. Marini, San Antonio Express-News, 17 Feb. 2026
The Western is sort of stoked with a forge full of cliches.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 Feb. 2026
The cliches of Hollywood endings notwithstanding, Cumming is happy and at peace.
—Jonathan Borge, InStyle, 29 Jan. 2026
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
Hedda’s romantic picture — of Lovborg dying magnificently, with Dionysian vine leaves in his hairs, from a bullet of one of her own guns — smacks of the same literary cliches that has Emma fantasizing about a torchlight wedding at midnight.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 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
His voice waxed poetic about Louisiana and its beauty while also critiquing the cliches rendered as the only acceptable terms to discuss a place that exceeds description.
—Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
While the house avoids the cowboy cliches that overwhelm many Hill Country homes, Hardin did allow a few understated nods to the style to seep in.
—Richard A. Marini, San Antonio Express-News, 17 Feb. 2026
The Western is sort of stoked with a forge full of cliches.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 Feb. 2026
The cliches of Hollywood endings notwithstanding, Cumming is happy and at peace.
—Jonathan Borge, InStyle, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clichés
Noun
-
While embracing familiar tropes, They Cloned Tyrone weaves an original story that stands out as a diamond in the thick of many Netflix duds.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Apr. 2026
-
But much of Orbán’s criticism of the Central European University has been directed personally at Soros, who is Jewish, often deploying antisemitic tropes in what has become a crusade against the billionaire philanthropist.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Pestaina also cautioned against broad generalizations about savings.—
Liz Neporent,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
If there are any generalizations to be made about how different areas raise different types of players, Latson is qualified to make them.—
Rebecca Shore Winn,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 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
Noun
-
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
-
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
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
-
The old flag, which depicted the old state seal on a blue field, had been criticized for years for a cluttered, undistinguished design and for containing colonial imagery and depicting racist stereotypes.—
Matthew Stolle,
Twin Cities,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Autism does not always match the stereotypes people expect to see.—
Malana VanTyler,
Sacbee.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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,
ArsTechnica,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Almonds, chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, chia, and flax are rich in magnesium and omega-3s, helping to support nervous-system and hormonal balance.—
Mélanie Defouilloy,
Vogue,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clichés.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9s. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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