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
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But when platitudes aren’t backed by action, the disparity between branding and behavior becomes impossible to ignore.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Eritrea had trounced Zanzibar to reach the semi-finals of the CECAFA Under-20 Championship — consisting of national teams from east and central African nations — when, amid the celebrations and platitudes from government officials back home, the players made their move.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Taking what the defense gives you is one of the oldest sayings in the NBA book.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Holtz was quick with inspirational sayings, humor, and self-depreciation that was an act, but oh so charming.—
Mac Engel
March 5,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Combining the tropes of the superhero genre with the police procedural genre, Powers follows two Chicago homicide detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, who work in cases involving super powers.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Mar. 2026
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There's all of these tropes and stereotypes about gender roles and women's roles in particular, especially in Victorian times, that would automatically align women's work as being within the household.—
Mariel Carr,
Scientific American,
20 Mar. 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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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
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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 28 Mar. 2026.
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