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
Between jokes about research funding and the scientific questions that might arise upon spotting a fuzzy pink Tyrannosaurus rex on a strange planet, Lemming uses her protagonist, Dory, to poke fun at romance tropes and graduate student woes alike.
—
Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Originally opened in 2023, Under the Cover sells a variety of romance books in wide variety of spice levels and tropes.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee
february 13, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
When filmmakers have tried to skew slightly earthier, as in Jacques Rivette’s 1985 version, the result is a sort of grungy take on traditional Gothic tropes.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
The cast includes Black Ops star Hammed Animashaun, Emma Sidi, who played Rose Matafeo’s flatmate in Starstruck, and Al Nash, a viral comic who satirizes social media tropes.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026
The imagery was largely criticized for echoing long-standing racist tropes that have historically been used to demean Black Americans.
—Ana Ceballos
follow, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, government budget proposals and strategy documents now read like Truth Social posts, replete with online tropes.
—Donald Moynihan, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
Before every artful-minded modern horror film became about grief and trauma, The Babadook explored these themes with authenticity, deftly weaving in Amelia's grief over the loss of her husband and her inability to control her son with traditional horror tropes.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
The duet is unabashedly sappy, its lyrics full of period-perfect, flowery Medieval revivalism tropes.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Originally opened in 2023, Under the Cover sells a variety of romance books in wide variety of spice levels and tropes.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee
february 13, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
When filmmakers have tried to skew slightly earthier, as in Jacques Rivette’s 1985 version, the result is a sort of grungy take on traditional Gothic tropes.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
The cast includes Black Ops star Hammed Animashaun, Emma Sidi, who played Rose Matafeo’s flatmate in Starstruck, and Al Nash, a viral comic who satirizes social media tropes.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026
The imagery was largely criticized for echoing long-standing racist tropes that have historically been used to demean Black Americans.
—Ana Ceballos
follow, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, government budget proposals and strategy documents now read like Truth Social posts, replete with online tropes.
—Donald Moynihan, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
Before every artful-minded modern horror film became about grief and trauma, The Babadook explored these themes with authenticity, deftly weaving in Amelia's grief over the loss of her husband and her inability to control her son with traditional horror tropes.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
The duet is unabashedly sappy, its lyrics full of period-perfect, flowery Medieval revivalism tropes.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tropes
Noun
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One of the truisms in the past for Team Canada at some best-on-best events is needing a few games to find its game.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
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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
Noun
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That these sayings are meant to reflect something both deep and asinine about the film itself is self-evident.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
15 Feb. 2026
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Today, the writings come in the form of cards and sweet sayings on candy.—
Jeff Wagner,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Many use cases are still being deployed or piloted, and the agency’s AI database is filled with jargon and platitudes that, in many instances, can be interpreted in multiple ways.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
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Google is famous for dodging questions by reciting platitudes on its calls.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tropes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tropes. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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