as in clichés
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
ended his letter with the overused truism, "You can't win them all!"
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Recent Examples of truisms
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
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
But the movie’s soft-hearted underbelly fails to support that reading, and by the time the story finally arrives at its final moments, the unsparing cynicism that supplied its initial lift has been dragged back down to Earth by the weight of bland truisms.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2025
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
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
But the movie’s soft-hearted underbelly fails to support that reading, and by the time the story finally arrives at its final moments, the unsparing cynicism that supplied its initial lift has been dragged back down to Earth by the weight of bland truisms.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truisms
Noun
-
The stump speech that voters — or would-be voters — get about this time of year entails platitudes about exercising rights, not sitting on the sidelines, using your voice and so on.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
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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
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
-
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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There are some rom-com tropes that do fit with this relationship, and then a lot that don’t, and Colin, over the course of the movie, comes to learn about those that don’t necessarily fit.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
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But, to get there, Brontë enlists some of the ubiquitous tropes of her time—the foundling hero, for example—only to ruthlessly unravel them.—
Radhika Jones,
New Yorker,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
As far back as the Victorian era, exchanging a few banalities was part of a veritable social code—a way of signaling both politeness and boundaries.—
Jeanne Ballion,
Vogue,
27 Dec. 2025
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Written by Noah Oppenheim, Bigelow’s real-time thriller about the banalities and actualities of a fictional-in-premise-only nuclear attack on the United States is Netflix’s best horse in the race at the Oscars this year.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Despite their clear affection for these women, the Dardenne brothers never sugarcoat their characters’ unenviable circumstance or latch onto phony bromides to alleviate our anxiety.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2026
-
There is a reason why the apocalyptic bromides about the state of print haven’t come to fruition, other than for disposable periodicals and newspapers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
For nine months, Erasmus spent his short nights in a modest dorm and his long days in the print shop, expanding on his collection of proverbs Adagiorum chiliades while Aldus proofread, craftsman carefully laying sets of print and rolling paper through the press.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Nov. 2025
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Includes quirky facts, adages, advice, quotes and proverbs, as well as articles about mistletoe, bird nests, perennials, timekeeping, recipes and more.—
Alex Perry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Truisms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truisms. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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