truism

noun

ˈtrü-ˌi-zəm How to pronounce truism (audio)
Definition of truismnext
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

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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 truism But most politicians are pretty easily replaced, a truism that Moreno reinforced by going public. — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026 There are, however, exceptions to this truism, which brings me to my brief personal list of best movie adaptations of great literature. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026 There’s a truism that all models are wrong, but some are useful. — ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026 Rick Jackson is testing that truism in his campaign for Georgia governor. — Jesse Bedayn, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for truism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truism
  1. platitude
  2. commonplace
  3. proverb
  4. trope
  5. saying
  6. banality
  7. bromide
Noun
  • This isn’t a platitude; the team was as enthused as ever late in the season, long after wins and losses stopped mattering.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Are the general platitudes about Perry’s talent and why Friends was successful — courtesy of a single cultural critic — really necessary?
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of platitude
Noun
  • Inspired by Marcel Duchamp and his poetry of the everyday, Rauschenberg and Johns used commonplace objects—a flashlight, a bedspread—in their creations.
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Marshall responded by characterizing the practice as commonplace among area hospitals.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of commonplace
Noun
  • In American sports, namely college and professional football, head coaches often land on one singular proverb after a victory.
    — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The underlying lesson of the proverb dates back at least to the time of the first Olympics in Greece — nearly 3,000 years ago, for those counting at home.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of proverb
Noun
  • Aside from those familiar tropes, the absence of regular eliminations, a staple of dating shows, help set the show apart, according to Harrison.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Produced by Amy Poehler and co-directed by Alyce Tzue and John Ripa, Steps rehashes once-radical, now familiar tropes like the antagonist as hero and the bonds of sisterhood outweighing conventional romance.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of trope
Noun
  • One of my favorite sayings came from a wetsuit ad for Body Glove in SURFER magazine back in the mid 1960s that featured Mickey Munoz.
    — Corky Carroll, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Put junk into it, and more junk will come out, as the saying goes.
    — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of saying
Noun
  • The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The sentences, packed with jargon, beat me down with their elaborate banality.
    — Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of banality
Noun
  • Groundwater tests taken near the purge sites showed evidence of oil field wastewater pollution, including high levels of salt, bromide and the carcinogen benzene, which exceeded the EPA drinking water standard by five times.
    — Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 27 Oct. 2026
  • At the time, the state used a three-drug execution protocol of midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of bromide

Browse Nearby Words

trueness
truism
truisms
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Cite this Entry

“Truism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truism. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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