CLICHES Synonyms: 24 Similar and Opposite Words

clichés

noun

variants also cliches

plural of cliché

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

profundities

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 clichés 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 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 Desirée can so often come off a bundle of cliches of actresses of a certain age, all narcissism, hedonism and irresponsibility. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026 Brousson is an Austin resident and often posts satirical videos teasing Texas cliches and generalizations. — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 June 2026 In this section, artists Wendy Red Star, Omar Victor Diop, Yuki Kihara, Frida Orupabo, and Dimakatso Mathopa mine the tropes and cliches borne of these images, and through satire and recontextualization, offer works that center their own empowerment and subjectivity. — The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 10 June 2026 But for Maria Poveromo, a soon-to-be Woodbridge High School graduate, some academic cliches still ring true. — Victoria Le, Oc Register, 29 May 2026 Club Kid runs right up to and then darts around so many potential cliches in a way that’s really satisfying. — Rachel Handler, Vulture, 26 May 2026 Sure, Josh’s seasonal arc becomes finding a new mate before the next hibernation, but the episodic stories soon settle into all-too-familiar rom-com cliches, without enough contrast from the animal’s POV to provide much enlightenment for the human audience. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for clichés

Noun

The language of a sociopath is very easy to have a mustached, twirly guy speaking and pontificating and vaguely threatening tropes, but to really give him a kind of humanity, vulnerability.

— Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026
Its real interest, though, seems to lie beyond both DC Universe lore and the procedural tropes of the rural murder investigations that occupy most of its runtime.

— Judy Berman, Time, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of tropes

Noun

At last week’s meeting, though, Warsh spoke largely in platitudes and generalizations.

— John Cassidy, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Some called out the statement for making sweeping generalizations about Phish fans, especially when most of the crowd was all kind vibes.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2026

Definition of generalizations

Noun

Today, Instagram unveiled a refresh of its wordmark, accompanied by the usual bland corporate platitudes these kinds of announcements are always packaged with.

— Aurich Lawson, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026
Not everybody needs to spend the rest of their life totally abstinent with a cup of shitty coffee in a Styrofoam cup regurgitating platitudes.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of platitudes

Noun

Spain’s success over the past five years has undermined many long-standing political-economic truisms.

— Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
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

Definition of truisms

Noun

Then morning would come, with all the banalities that drew them apart.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
And even though access to such banalities may sound brain-deadening, and at best dull, some of the most famous people in the world are now live-streamers.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of banalities

Noun

Research has shown that women with obesity earn about 6% less than thinner women for identical work and that people in larger bodies may also face discriminatory termination and negative stereotypes that can hinder hiring and career advancement.

— Brittney McNamara, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2026
Non-Asian parents in TV shows talked about this stuff all the time, yet my parents were living stereotypes.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of stereotypes

Noun

The president used similar bromides in private calls to assuage allies, including Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, before launching the war in February, according to people familiar with the conversations.

— Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026
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

Definition of bromides

Noun

There are also opportunities to savor white truffles and other regional food and wine specialties (such as mushrooms, chestnuts, cheeses, honey and wines) under a big tent with long tables and at restaurants.

— Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
There are also some surviving large American chestnuts, some of which have heritable blight resistance.

— Steve Strauss, The Conversation, 22 July 2026

Definition of chestnuts

Browse Nearby Words

clichéd

clichés

click

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Clichés.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9s. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of clichés

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

prowess

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes