as in cliches
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
Aside from fake dating, the novel is full of beloved, albeit cheesy, rom-com tropes.
—
Clare Mulroy, 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
While some people in Hollywood are more than willing to make a Frankenstein film that explores AI themes, del Toro emphasized that his work focused on telling a story rooted in the original themes and tropes from Mary Shelley’s novel.
—Braedon Montgomery, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The simple and classic wreath emulates harvest season, without all of the Thanksgiving tropes like pumpkins or squash.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2025
Ferguson pulled from several famous mystery tropes to help craft her latest romance story.
—Rachel McRady, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Shrek became a cultural phenomenon thanks to its brazen skewering of fairy tale formulas and pop culture tropes.
—Skyler Trepel September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Much like the lawman drowning his sorrows in alcohol, a robber named Robbie with Robin Hood-like tendencies may trigger some knee-jerk skepticism from viewers wary of reductive tropes.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Clare Mulroy, 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
While some people in Hollywood are more than willing to make a Frankenstein film that explores AI themes, del Toro emphasized that his work focused on telling a story rooted in the original themes and tropes from Mary Shelley’s novel.
—Braedon Montgomery, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The simple and classic wreath emulates harvest season, without all of the Thanksgiving tropes like pumpkins or squash.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2025
Ferguson pulled from several famous mystery tropes to help craft her latest romance story.
—Rachel McRady, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Shrek became a cultural phenomenon thanks to its brazen skewering of fairy tale formulas and pop culture tropes.
—Skyler Trepel September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Much like the lawman drowning his sorrows in alcohol, a robber named Robbie with Robin Hood-like tendencies may trigger some knee-jerk skepticism from viewers wary of reductive tropes.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tropes
cliches
Noun
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Of course, some cliches are nothing but lazy thinking.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
30 Aug. 2025
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In fact, natural is the word to sum up Chapman, a host who, like Artie Bucco, could be described as warm and convivial, who rarely fails to ask piercing questions devoid of cliches and has a relaxed but authoritative style.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
17 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tropes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tropes. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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