as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull
the speaker offered disappointingly trite sentiments about embracing each challenge as an opportunity
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of trite
Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan is an individual of such extraordinary warmth and compassion, to call him a mensch is not just trite but inadequate.
—
Joshua M. Davidson, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
While the series isn’t as thrilling as viewers may hope, the engaging performances and several of the less trite twists and turns work well enough.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Jan. 2026
Clown in a Cornfield may lean into its YA novel background; by the end, even the trite love triangle gets a welcome subversion.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
But whatever personal motivation might lie behind the film is impossible to see in the final product — not in its boilerplate depiction of grief, not in its trite evocations of the occult.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trite
Joshua M. Davidson, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
While the series isn’t as thrilling as viewers may hope, the engaging performances and several of the less trite twists and turns work well enough.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Jan. 2026
Clown in a Cornfield may lean into its YA novel background; by the end, even the trite love triangle gets a welcome subversion.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
But whatever personal motivation might lie behind the film is impossible to see in the final product — not in its boilerplate depiction of grief, not in its trite evocations of the occult.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trite
Adjective
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Kelly Enders-Tharp, a three-time surrogate and education and experience specialist at Growing Generations, explains that surrogates are often stereotyped, or that their backgrounds are misrepresented.—
Kris Ann Valdez,
Parents,
13 Feb. 2026
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Later, Lenape artist Joe Baker places cutout photographs of his ancestors over the stereotyped images of Native Americans found in the wallpaper.—
Tom McDonough,
Artforum,
1 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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For anyone who’s tired of layering in linen blankets and jute throw rugs, an accordion divider is another excellent option.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
26 Feb. 2026
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Want a worker who always shows up, never says no, never gets sick, and can work without getting tired?—
Caleb Harris,
Austin American Statesman,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But the movie drifts into hackneyed melodrama that sits awkwardly against the gritty canvas of terrorist incidents, sniper attacks, bombings and police checkpoints.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Feb. 2026
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This is actually better than some of the hackneyed rom-coms Reiner muddled through, a coming-of-age story about two kids’ pseudo-love story from grade school through middle school.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
16 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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If frictionless facial recognition becomes commonplace, theoretically, ICE is vulnerable to the technology as well.—
Sarah Jeong,
The Verge,
1 Mar. 2026
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In the one-reel short — which features only one single camera set-up, as was commonplace at the time — Méliès plays a magician who winds up an automaton dressed as the clown Pierrot.—
Eric Henderson,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trite. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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