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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clichés
So, as media day unfolded Saturday, the coach offered a flow of cliches and sayings.
—
Noah White, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2026
Guttural noises aside, Romo was also called out for his use of cliches and what some said were obvious calls.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
Their love scene in the rain, while obviously less visually spectacular than in the film, plunges headlong into romantic cliches that manage to get the job done despite their obviousness.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
For an attorney’s brand to really stand out in the marketplace, their billboard has to go beyond old cliches.
—Adam M. Rosen, thehustle.co, 12 Dec. 2025
The first scene with Mackenzie has Samus rescuing him from a horde of aliens, followed quickly by an escort mission — one of the most agonizing cliches in gaming.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2025
The drama veers from the usual sports-movie cliches by exploring mental health and eating disorders with a dose of psychological horror.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
New novels are rightly praised for breaking with traditional forms and criticized for turning to stale formulas and cliches.
—Nathaniel Moore
september 10, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2025
Just really not going to sit here and give some cliches.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
Noah White, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2026
Guttural noises aside, Romo was also called out for his use of cliches and what some said were obvious calls.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
Their love scene in the rain, while obviously less visually spectacular than in the film, plunges headlong into romantic cliches that manage to get the job done despite their obviousness.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
For an attorney’s brand to really stand out in the marketplace, their billboard has to go beyond old cliches.
—Adam M. Rosen, thehustle.co, 12 Dec. 2025
The first scene with Mackenzie has Samus rescuing him from a horde of aliens, followed quickly by an escort mission — one of the most agonizing cliches in gaming.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2025
The drama veers from the usual sports-movie cliches by exploring mental health and eating disorders with a dose of psychological horror.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
New novels are rightly praised for breaking with traditional forms and criticized for turning to stale formulas and cliches.
—Nathaniel Moore
september 10, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2025
Just really not going to sit here and give some cliches.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clichés
Noun
-
All of the familiar tropes are there, from the numerous pop songs peppering the action (including one by Phil Collins, just to remind you of Miami Vice) to the profane banter between the two main characters to the endless fights, shootouts and chases to the colorful villain.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The remaining scenes draw on familiar teenage horror tropes, with flecks of fresh insight.—
Natalia Winkelman,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But sweeping generalizations flatten reality and do a disservice to institutions such as Roosevelt — and students such as mine.—
Ryan Gable,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Under California law, fraud must be pled with particularity, meaning there must be specifics and details in the complaint; generalizations, inferences and supposition don’t cut it.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
16 Jan. 2026
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
Noun
-
Kemp does warn his readers to be skeptical of truisms about the nature of history and the odds of apocalypse.—
Linda Kinstler,
The Atlantic,
1 Dec. 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
-
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
-
Written by Noah Oppenheim, Bigelow’s real-time thriller about the banalities and actualities of a fictional-in-premise-only nuclear attack on the United States is Netflix’s best horse in the race at the Oscars this year.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This powerful ensemble portrays American stereotypes of the time — the yuppie, the drug dealer, the TV star — and deftly humanizes them.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The former Orange County congresswoman had played to the worst stereotypes and that was that.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Despite their clear affection for these women, the Dardenne brothers never sugarcoat their characters’ unenviable circumstance or latch onto phony bromides to alleviate our anxiety.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2026
-
There is a reason why the apocalyptic bromides about the state of print haven’t come to fruition, other than for disposable periodicals and newspapers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Nuts Many nuts, including walnuts, pecans, chestnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds, are rich in polyphenols.—
Lindsey DeSoto,
Health,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The streets and shops are adorned with lights, and the smell of freshly roasted chestnuts looms around every corner.—
Jenna Curcio,
InStyle,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clichés.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9s. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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