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
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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Throughout all of Lowe’s platitudes and boosterism, my attention was rapt, and my mind never wandered.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
18 Dec. 2025
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After, Sutton Stracke offered platitudes while answering questions about her fractured relationships with ex-assistant Avi Gabay and Garcelle Beauvais.—
Vulture Editors,
Vulture,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
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By tradition, Ohio’s mix of snow, clouds, and cold suggests a year that may start with challenges but also holds opportunities for growth — and at least enough food to put on the table, according to the old sayings.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
31 Dec. 2025
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The new space resembles the old, complete with walls covered in graffiti with names, sayings, and pictures of the old Post Bar.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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There is so much pleasure to be had in rereading old favorites—and part of the joy is meeting beloved characters, who have been updated or somehow arrive in a new form to resist old tropes and types.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
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The other one that happens to me more regularly is seeing common tropes or scenarios from the media and tipping them just slightly on their side.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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These films explore those bonds without ever resorting to bromides or mawkishness.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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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 11 Jan. 2026.
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