as in cliché
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
"blondes have more fun" is a silly platitude
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of platitude
But behind the pomp and platitudes, Putin is also facing Xi in a much weaker position than during his last visit to Beijing in September.
—
Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
Beneath the platitudes, there are simmering tensions -- especially on Taiwan.
—Selina Wang, ABC News, 14 May 2026
The lyrics—elsewhere evocative—wilt dramatically, a slurry of platitudes.
—Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 29 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for platitude
Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
Beneath the platitudes, there are simmering tensions -- especially on Taiwan.
—Selina Wang, ABC News, 14 May 2026
The lyrics—elsewhere evocative—wilt dramatically, a slurry of platitudes.
—Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 29 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for platitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for platitude
Noun
-
Spain’s success over the past five years has undermined many long-standing political-economic truisms.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
-
His deep arsenal gives him a chance to handle a truism of the craft.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Other testing by the state’s environmental quality department found elevated levels of heavy metals commonly found in oil field wastewater including barium and bromide.—
Nick Bowlin,
ProPublica,
18 May 2026
-
The bromide invites teachers to underestimate their students.—
Steven F. Wilson,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In the last few decades, that swagger seems to have collapsed under the weight of a tepid banality.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Wolff was only the eighth woman to drive a Formula 1 car (four more have done it since); the role, a now-commonplace one that includes driving the simulator during Grand Prix weekends to inform trackside strategy, was created for her.—
Danielle McNally,
InStyle,
28 May 2026
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The videos are often integrated into larger montages of drone strikes, underscoring how commonplace these drones have become for Russian forces.—
Vikram Mittal,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Noun
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The science fiction film trope of the passionate astronomer monitoring radio telescopes in search of transmissions from an extraterrestrial intelligence, then actually hearing one, seems cliché today after decades of overuse.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
31 May 2026
-
In one specific case, that spy movie trope became all too real when Pierce Brosnan had to save Halle Berry on the set of Die Another Day (2002).—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Pride, the saying goes, comes before a fall.—
Mark Barabak,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
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As the old saying goes, don’t try to eat an elephant in one bite.—
Bob Rhatigan,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Platitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/platitude. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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