TRUISM Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

truism

noun

ˈtrü-ˌi-zəm

Definition of truism

as in cliché

an idea or expression that has been used by many people ended his letter with the overused truism, "You can't win them all!"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

profundity

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 truism Rick Jackson is testing that truism in his campaign for Georgia governor. — Jesse Bedayn, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026 His deep arsenal gives him a chance to handle a truism of the craft. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 8 May 2026 But, travel experts say, that truism doesn't apply during this tumultuous period. — Andrea Sachs The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 29 Mar. 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 See All Example Sentences for truism

Recent Examples of Synonyms for truism

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 platitude

Noun

Wolff was only the eighth woman to drive a Formula 1 car (four more have done it since); the role, a now-commonplace one that includes driving the simulator during Grand Prix weekends to inform trackside strategy, was created for her.

— Danielle McNally, InStyle, 28 May 2026
The videos are often integrated into larger montages of drone strikes, underscoring how commonplace these drones have become for Russian forces.

— Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026

Definition of commonplace

Noun

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

Definition of trope

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
But the saying also slyly sets the stage for the men’s existential inquiries; in Cool Machine, Pepper and Carney ask themselves the same thing.

— Niela Orr, Vulture, 20 July 2026

Definition of saying

Noun

Commentary and opinions In his latest column, Gustavo Arellano breaks down the banality of evil in the Border Patrol’s secret anti-immigrant slur.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
And yet for God’s sake, just look at the man—at his dispiriting attempts at humor, his weirdly off-putting outfits, his incessant posting of banalities and faux profundities and extreme-right disinformation on social media.

— Mark O’Connell, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026

Definition of banality

Noun

The fire contained compounds from more than two dozen chemical families, including dangerous amounts of bromide, a naturally occurring element that can irritate the skin and mucus membranes.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 29 June 2026
The bromide has been debunked, but there is power — and delight — in making coffee shop drinks at home.

— Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 25 June 2026

Definition of bromide

Browse Nearby Words

trueness

truism

truisms

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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“Truism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truism. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of truism

noun

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