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
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
This is now a political war that has escalated far beyond the ethical platitudes some use to argue against Proposition 50.
—Marc Lampe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
Continue reading … BLIND LOYALTY – Karine Jean-Pierre has rocky rollout for book as reviews pan Biden defense, platitudes.
—FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Survivors need concrete safety and justice, not spiritual platitudes.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
My first true attempts at poetry were self-guided, painfully rhymed, drenched in abstractions and exhausted platitudes.
—Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
His answers, typically, differ by just a few words and a few platitudes.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Nonetheless, commonplace platitudes about honor and bravery take precedence over the feminist undertones Wyatt may aspire to.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
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
This is now a political war that has escalated far beyond the ethical platitudes some use to argue against Proposition 50.
—Marc Lampe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
Continue reading … BLIND LOYALTY – Karine Jean-Pierre has rocky rollout for book as reviews pan Biden defense, platitudes.
—FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Survivors need concrete safety and justice, not spiritual platitudes.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
My first true attempts at poetry were self-guided, painfully rhymed, drenched in abstractions and exhausted platitudes.
—Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
His answers, typically, differ by just a few words and a few platitudes.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Nonetheless, commonplace platitudes about honor and bravery take precedence over the feminist undertones Wyatt may aspire to.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for platitudes
Noun
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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
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These films explore those bonds without ever resorting to bromides or mawkishness.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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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
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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
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So, as media day unfolded Saturday, the coach offered a flow of cliches and sayings.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
17 Jan. 2026
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The Allen family has several sayings.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There is so much pleasure to be had in rereading old favorites—and part of the joy is meeting beloved characters, who have been updated or somehow arrive in a new form to resist old tropes and types.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
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The other one that happens to me more regularly is seeing common tropes or scenarios from the media and tipping them just slightly on their side.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Platitudes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/platitudes. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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