tropes

noun

plural of trope
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tropes The book pays homage to all your classic romance tropes — fake relationship, enemies to lovers, boy next door — but spins them on their head in this new take on what happily ever after looks like. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 31 July 2026 The series premiering on Starz is, more than anything else, blandly familiar, mining all the tropes of several popular genres without finding anything distinctive in the combination. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 There were plenty of clever nods to gaming tropes and terrific comic performances by the cast. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 29 July 2026 Time Honored encapsulates classic American styling tropes, collegiate layers, rugged workwear and gorpcore staples. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 28 July 2026 Emmanuel Macron, and shared a meme that utilized antisemitic tropes to mock his father’s critics. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 July 2026 Bush's recent event included some Jewish faith leaders who share her criticism of Israel, as well as others who echoed hateful tropes. — ABC News, 26 July 2026 The show’s first trailer, which debuted during DC Studios’ Hall H panel, illustrated its commitment to using traditional cop show tropes on a comic book property. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 24 July 2026 Some say the line between anti-Zionism and antisemitism can blur when opposition to Israeli policies veers into prejudice against Jewish people, in some cases tapping age-old anti-Jewish tropes about money and power. — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tropes
  1. truisms
  2. sayings
  3. platitudes
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
Definition of truisms
Noun
  • The next three chapters offer an anthology of sayings from rabbis who were active in the early centuries of the Common Era, including Hillel and Johanan ben Zakkai, among many other tannaim.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026
  • Where the most hopelessly corny sayings are painstakingly stitched into the equivalent of cloth graph paper by women who believe in the sayings and give the plaques to people who do not believe in the sayings.
    — Padgett Powell, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
Definition of sayings
Noun
  • Leaders must understand grief's unique, individual nature, avoiding assumptions or platitudes.
    — Mena Mirhom, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • The shorter run time also means some themes get reduced into syrup; the platitudes come as fast and furious as Tao and Elle’s breakups and makeups, with too little space to breathe in between.
    — Gemma Wilson, Boston Herald, 19 July 2026
Definition of platitudes

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Cite this Entry

“Tropes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tropes. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of tropes for Spanish Speakers

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