as in cliche
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
a screenplay that reads like a catalog of mystery-thriller tropes the narrative trope of two rival characters falling in love by the end of the story
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of trope
Trauma is not a hackneyed literary trope in the work of Miriam Toews.
—
Lorrie Moore, The New York Review of Books, 4 Sep. 2025
Their story, the first of Henry's beloved books to be adapted, combines a bevy of popular tropes.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Punishing yet satisfying combat In reliable fashion, Art of Vengeance makes use of dozens of storytelling tropes from across ninja media.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
The book does make fun of other tropes.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trope
Lorrie Moore, The New York Review of Books, 4 Sep. 2025
Their story, the first of Henry's beloved books to be adapted, combines a bevy of popular tropes.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Punishing yet satisfying combat In reliable fashion, Art of Vengeance makes use of dozens of storytelling tropes from across ninja media.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
The book does make fun of other tropes.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trope
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trope
Noun
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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
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Just really not going to sit here and give some cliches.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That truism apparently extends to Switch modders as well, at least in the case of Ryan Daly.—
Kyle Orland,
ArsTechnica,
9 Sep. 2025
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There is a truism that a good place to live is a good place to visit—and that relationship often creates a virtuous cycle of development.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trope.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trope. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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