as in cliches
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
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
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truisms
Noun
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Spoofing slashers and their tired cliches with a new perspective, the comedy features Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine as good-natured hillbillies assumed to be backwoods psycho killers by a bunch of college students.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
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New novels are rightly praised for breaking with traditional forms and criticized for turning to stale formulas and cliches.—
Nathaniel Moore
September 10,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Survivors need concrete safety and justice, not spiritual platitudes.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
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My first true attempts at poetry were self-guided, painfully rhymed, drenched in abstractions and exhausted platitudes.—
Via Scribner,
Literary Hub,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Workers’ Party of Korea is the sole ruling party of North Korea, blending communism with the words, sayings and ideals of the Kim dynasty, who have imposed their authoritarian rule on the country for three generations.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
9 Oct. 2025
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Little sayings like that get you through the rough patches.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The book is about primal insecurities and relatable fears, explored through the lens of classic horror tropes.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
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Unfortunately though, Cooper can’t escape certain hackneyed biopic tropes in representing the songwriting, which are almost impossible to avoid.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Truisms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truisms. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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