as in clichés
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
"blondes have more fun" is a silly platitude
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Recent Examples of platitudes
The process is so slow that a City Council committee held a hearing earlier this month essentially to turn up the heat on administration officials, who offered no explanation for the molasses-like contracting process other than platitudes.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
The public backing from members of the squad for Carrick has been pronounced, beyond the usual platitudes of players supporting their manager.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 24 May 2026
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
Taiwan Beneath all the platitudes, there are still some simmering tensions.
—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
However, before long creators were posting eerily similar content heaping praise on the official response, while regurgitating platitudes about the UAE’s steadfast leadership.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 1 Apr. 2026
But for UConn, the platitudes feel profoundly honest.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
The public backing from members of the squad for Carrick has been pronounced, beyond the usual platitudes of players supporting their manager.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 24 May 2026
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
Taiwan Beneath all the platitudes, there are still some simmering tensions.
—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
However, before long creators were posting eerily similar content heaping praise on the official response, while regurgitating platitudes about the UAE’s steadfast leadership.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 1 Apr. 2026
But for UConn, the platitudes feel profoundly honest.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for platitudes
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
Noun
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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
-
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
Noun
-
Sets come in half-dozens and include designs like a soccer ball, a flag, celebratory sayings in the language and a jersey, according to its website.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee
May 15,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
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Readers share Mother's Day advice, funny sayings and expressions from moms.—
Letters to the Editor,
Washington Post,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
In another Amsterdam photo, a pair of identical world globes, recalling Ghirri’s passion for cartography and atlases, rest on matching supports to conjure that oldest of surrealist tropes, a pair of staring eyes.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
Professional arcs not entirely aside, this is a romantic comedy, full of meet-cutes and related tropes, where love rules; no one’s got it, everyone’s looking for it.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Platitudes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/platitudes. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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