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
And among this narrow selection, what is seen are outdated cliches and stereotypes that undermine the richness and expansiveness of rural experiences. William Jones, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025 That mantra, a cliche one around college football and sports in general, is magnified now for the Hurricanes (6-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) given Miami’s standing. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025 Really, the cliche stems from World Cup 1982 in Spain. Michael Cox, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025 The baseball cliche is that chicks dig the long ball. Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025 This, alas, is not the only cliche floating around in the movie. Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025 Mentality is the critical factor here because, as the cliche goes, the defining feature of any champion team is securing victory in the face of adversity or underperformance. Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025 As cliche as seems, Eid wants the spirit of his father’s restaurant to carry over. Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025 Football is, as the cliche goes, a game of inches. Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliché
Adjective
  • Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.
    Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
  • At the time, Latinos were often cast in stereotyped roles with heavy accents and largely denied the opportunity to direct features.
    Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 17 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • That’s a generalization, whereas in reality, humans are extremely multifaceted and can be so many things.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025
  • This timeline is, of course, a generalization, with individual outcomes varying based on the specifics of the procedure and the patient’s overall health.
    Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The first turned a fourth-quarter fumble into a 59-yard score when Achane burst through a tired, and seemingly defeated Buffalo defensive front and outsprinted the Bills’ entire secondary to the end zone.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025
  • But that feels like a tired, outdated characterisation.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Throughout all of Lowe’s platitudes and boosterism, my attention was rapt, and my mind never wandered.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
  • After, Sutton Stracke offered platitudes while answering questions about her fractured relationships with ex-assistant Avi Gabay and Garcelle Beauvais.
    Vulture Editors, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Unfortunately though, Cooper can’t escape certain hackneyed biopic tropes in representing the songwriting, which are almost impossible to avoid.
    Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Unfortunately though, Cooper can’t escape certain hackneyed biopic tropes in representing the songwriting, which are almost impossible to avoid.
    Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • One truism in Latin American politics is that nearly every revolt is fueled by the frustration of junior army officers.
    Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
  • But the movie’s soft-hearted underbelly fails to support that reading, and by the time the story finally arrives at its final moments, the unsparing cynicism that supplied its initial lift has been dragged back down to Earth by the weight of bland truisms.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Many of these same tropes appear in movies such as The Matrix (1999), I, Robot (2004), Transcendence (2014), Ex Machina (2015), M3gan (2022), The Creator (2023), and others.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
  • There’s a reason why the enemies-to-lovers trope is so popular in the romance book community, and Bailey and Ashley only helped further prove it as their icy onscreen clashes slowly melted into a fiery (and definitely temperature-raising) romance.
    Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The incidents have mainly taken place in states where aerial pesticides have become more commonplace.
    Carolina Abbott Galvão, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Including a mid-round pick (or two) is a simple and commonplace way for teams to maximize their return in a trade.
    Thomas Drance, New York Times, 6 Jan. 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 8 Jan. 2026.

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