variants
also cliche
as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull
a cliché tale of lust and betrayal among the fabulously rich
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also cliche
as in generalization
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
try to write a love story without resorting to well-worn clichés
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cliché
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
There’s a reason for the myriad cliches in baseball.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Across the album, Blake uses hyper-specific details like this to make the project feel personal without being obvious or cliche.
—Donald Morrison, Pitchfork, 14 Apr. 2026
Matching furniture sets and too-small rugs are living room cliches to avoid.
—Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 13 Apr. 2026
The oldest, most enduring cliche about government policy is the one about how budgets are political, not fiscal, documents.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Nautical influence runs through the merchandise without tipping into cliche.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2026
The dialogue is overladen with snicker-worthy cliches, a swelling, melodramatic soundtrack that doesn’t match the mood, dubious cameos and plastic, perfunctory life-affirming quotes.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Playing to the occasion Time for some of the cliches.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Noun
The workforce warnings, in particular, are getting louder, with a mix of smart alerts and a cacophony of cliches.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
There’s a reason for the myriad cliches in baseball.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Across the album, Blake uses hyper-specific details like this to make the project feel personal without being obvious or cliche.
—Donald Morrison, Pitchfork, 14 Apr. 2026
Matching furniture sets and too-small rugs are living room cliches to avoid.
—Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 13 Apr. 2026
The oldest, most enduring cliche about government policy is the one about how budgets are political, not fiscal, documents.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Nautical influence runs through the merchandise without tipping into cliche.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2026
The dialogue is overladen with snicker-worthy cliches, a swelling, melodramatic soundtrack that doesn’t match the mood, dubious cameos and plastic, perfunctory life-affirming quotes.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Playing to the occasion Time for some of the cliches.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliché
Adjective
-
Kelly Enders-Tharp, a three-time surrogate and education and experience specialist at Growing Generations, explains that surrogates are often stereotyped, or that their backgrounds are misrepresented.—
Kris Ann Valdez,
Parents,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Later, Lenape artist Joe Baker places cutout photographs of his ancestors over the stereotyped images of Native Americans found in the wallpaper.—
Tom McDonough,
Artforum,
1 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Parachute Journalism Parachute journalism refers to the practice of briefly visiting a location, observing limited aspects of it, and subsequently producing articles that may rely on broad generalizations about the destination.—
Suzanne Dundas,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Experiments show early signs of compositional generalization, where the model recombines learned skills to solve new problems.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For homeowners tired of robotic mowers that demand nearly as much effort as traditional ones, the K1 is a genuine upgrade.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Susan Collins is an anemic and tired candidate.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The lyrics—elsewhere evocative—wilt dramatically, a slurry of platitudes.—
Linnie Greene,
Pitchfork,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Neville is smart enough as a documentarian to leave out platitudes, but also to let access to Michaels’ Maine retreat be a vibe rather than some knockout reveal.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
While not exactly a feminist screed, the script grants nary a free pass to the glut of hackneyed gender conventions in the golden-age canon without at least cracking a joke.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The plot never gets more complex than that at any point, but the game's use of these hackneyed story elements and themes is agile and smart.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Ever since, intelligence officers have ruefully invoked that truism whenever they’re blamed for a major screwup.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2026
-
But, travel experts say, that truism doesn't apply during this tumultuous period.—
ANDREA SACHS THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These are, in fact, common tropes of fiction going at least as far back as Bernard Malamud’s novel The Natural.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Buddy embraces the aesthetic of classic children’s television —complete with catchy songs and familiar tropes — before subverting it with a relentless descent into madness.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
It's become almost commonplace in schools and at shopping malls.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The incident brought America's commonplace gun violence just feet away from a room full of lawmakers, top officials, and journalists.—
Ryan Lucas,
NPR,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cliché.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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