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
Spain’s success over the past five years has undermined many long-standing political-economic truisms.
—
Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 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
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
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
Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 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
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
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
-
Victor Lindelof’s pre-match comments smacked of bombast and confidence, the sort of words which are said but not meant, platitudes used to motivate rather than to be sworn under oath.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
15 June 2026
-
What is in danger is that this will strip away the soul, the raw humanity actors like Jim Handy brough to each role and replace it with flat, generalized platitudes.—
Carl Kurlander,
Deadline,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Dear Annabelle makes adorable place cards that have witty sayings or a theme.—
Mark Seliger,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
-
Their advice and memorable sayings reveal lessons of perseverance, faith and integrity — values that continue to influence generations that follow.—
Yolanda Harris,
AJC.com,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
With 30 rooms, including 13 suites, all with views of the Dolomites, the interiors depart from familiar alpine tropes.—
Rachel Ingram,
Robb Report,
21 June 2026
-
In that episode, there is a very direct conversation about tropes and specifically the crazy-ex-girlfriend trope regarding Arthur’s ex, Narcissa, played by Anna Camp.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
One effect of this austerity and repression is to focus attention on Albee’s language, with its slippery banalities and barbs.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The president used similar bromides in private calls to assuage allies, including Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, before launching the war in February, according to people familiar with the conversations.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
3 June 2026
-
While these songs might appear to be somewhat straightforward EBM that wear their politics on their latex sleeve, there’s a level of ambiguity at work that moves Kissing Luck Goodbye past its own bromides and into deeper artistic territory.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
At this year’s Thorpe ceremony, too, Barron and Dennard — men of faith — bonded over Proverbs 27:17, talking about Barron’s future.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Truisms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truisms. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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