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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Still, his influence is felt across Bravo programming in every hot-mic moment and dinner-party edit that evokes the docu-soap tropes Cohen helped build.
—
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 4 May 2026
As envy, insecurity and imposter syndrome jostle for pole position in Simon’s narcissistic headspace, the film threatens a pivot into more intriguingly black-comic territory, or into a more metatextual send-up of indie-movie tropes and aesthetics.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 May 2026
Carly loves playing hostess, and designs interiors above all with socializing in mind—the conversation pit is one of her favorite midcentury tropes.
—Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026
Kelli Reynolds is a script supervisor for Inspiration, the language learning model that has copyrighted not just archetypal characters, but all tropes and plot beats, so that no human can access or create new stories.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
Merritt draws listeners’ attention to songwriting form, winking at its conventions and timeworn tropes.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
These are, in fact, common tropes of fiction going at least as far back as Bernard Malamud’s novel The Natural.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
Buddy embraces the aesthetic of classic children’s television —complete with catchy songs and familiar tropes — before subverting it with a relentless descent into madness.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026
Over the course of the afternoon, guests laughed about, grappled with, and sometimes politely skirted around the same gendered tropes that have existed for centuries, the conversation turning serious in some moments and silly in others.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 22 Apr. 2026
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 4 May 2026
As envy, insecurity and imposter syndrome jostle for pole position in Simon’s narcissistic headspace, the film threatens a pivot into more intriguingly black-comic territory, or into a more metatextual send-up of indie-movie tropes and aesthetics.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 May 2026
Carly loves playing hostess, and designs interiors above all with socializing in mind—the conversation pit is one of her favorite midcentury tropes.
—Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026
Kelli Reynolds is a script supervisor for Inspiration, the language learning model that has copyrighted not just archetypal characters, but all tropes and plot beats, so that no human can access or create new stories.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
Merritt draws listeners’ attention to songwriting form, winking at its conventions and timeworn tropes.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
These are, in fact, common tropes of fiction going at least as far back as Bernard Malamud’s novel The Natural.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
Buddy embraces the aesthetic of classic children’s television —complete with catchy songs and familiar tropes — before subverting it with a relentless descent into madness.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026
Over the course of the afternoon, guests laughed about, grappled with, and sometimes politely skirted around the same gendered tropes that have existed for centuries, the conversation turning serious in some moments and silly in others.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tropes
Noun
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
His daughter, Lisa Rodriguez, said he was known for his loud sense of style — his favorite shirt had a rainbow tiger on it — and his funny sayings.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The chef wrote around 40 sayings and gathered more from his Instagram followers.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The lyrics—elsewhere evocative—wilt dramatically, a slurry of platitudes.—
Linnie Greene,
Pitchfork,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Neville is smart enough as a documentarian to leave out platitudes, but also to let access to Michaels’ Maine retreat be a vibe rather than some knockout reveal.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tropes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tropes. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
