as in clichés
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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Recent Examples of tropes
All of the familiar tropes are there, from the numerous pop songs peppering the action (including one by Phil Collins, just to remind you of Miami Vice) to the profane banter between the two main characters to the endless fights, shootouts and chases to the colorful villain.
—
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026
The remaining scenes draw on familiar teenage horror tropes, with flecks of fresh insight.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
The President’s personality resembles an id livid with tropes and types.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
The script is filled with tired tropes and doesn’t set up JayDee in a way that showcases his natural presence or way with words.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
So is the simple and slow chord progression underlying it all, making for a folk song that avoids the predictable tropes of protest music and doesn’t rely on cynicism as a dead end.
—Grace Robins-Somerville, Pitchfork, 23 Jan. 2026
The script is filled with tired tropes and doesn’t set up Jay Dee in a way that showcases his natural presence or way with words.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Here, the design team nimbly avoids the tropes and manages to create a strong sense of place while keeping the design modern and elegant.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
As societies struggle with complex challenges, antisemitic tropes too often reemerge as false explanations for real problems.
—Brian Siegal, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026
The remaining scenes draw on familiar teenage horror tropes, with flecks of fresh insight.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
The President’s personality resembles an id livid with tropes and types.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
The script is filled with tired tropes and doesn’t set up JayDee in a way that showcases his natural presence or way with words.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
So is the simple and slow chord progression underlying it all, making for a folk song that avoids the predictable tropes of protest music and doesn’t rely on cynicism as a dead end.
—Grace Robins-Somerville, Pitchfork, 23 Jan. 2026
The script is filled with tired tropes and doesn’t set up Jay Dee in a way that showcases his natural presence or way with words.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Here, the design team nimbly avoids the tropes and manages to create a strong sense of place while keeping the design modern and elegant.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
As societies struggle with complex challenges, antisemitic tropes too often reemerge as false explanations for real problems.
—Brian Siegal, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tropes
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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Throughout all of Lowe’s platitudes and boosterism, my attention was rapt, and my mind never wandered.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
18 Dec. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Tropes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tropes. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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