groaner

noun

ˈgrō-nər How to pronounce groaner (audio)
Definition of groanernext
as in cliché
an idea or expression that has been used by many people the play's dialogue featured all of the groaners that seem to be de rigueur for any dysfunctional-family drama

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of groaner Those pacing blips aren’t the only groaners. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026 Che laughs about four groaners in a row, looking around sheepishly. — Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2024 The only possible groaner, a joke about school shootings, clearly worked with the improv audience but, Wood reasoned, needed to come later in Saturday’s set, once the audience had grown to trust him a bit. — Wesley Lowery, Washington Post, 1 May 2023 Evidently the authors — and the director, Jack O’Brien — meant to glue the show together with groaners, a gutsy if not entirely successful move. — Jesse Green, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2023 Scott performs on the track like a bizarro Young Thug, incapable of wringing any enthusiasm out of his voice, and delivers some egregious groaner punchlines, while Drake continues to burrow into narcissism. — Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groaner
  1. trope
  2. truism
  3. platitude
  4. commonplace
  5. saying
  6. banality
Noun
  • Enemies may often become allies — one of my favorite narrative tropes.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • For decades, the novelist Tom McCarthy has dismantled the tropes of realist fiction.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of trope
Noun
  • With all the hype surrounding potential uses of AI tools, this is a truism that too often gets forgotten.
    — Bryan Mistele, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Wars cannot be fought on ideology alone – a truism that perhaps led to the firebrand former defense minister’s departure, after months of clashes and refusing to deal with the army top brass, as Zelensky describes it.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of truism
Noun
  • Hughes offered the usual interview platitudes and seemed to be pleased with how his team was playing.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But the platitudes offered by Sakic for Bednar and Bednar for Sakic ignore the Avs’ 20-18 playoff record since winning the cup.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of platitude
Noun
  • Marshall responded by characterizing the practice as commonplace among area hospitals.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Wolff was only the eighth woman to drive a Formula 1 car (four more have done it since); the role, a now-commonplace one that includes driving the simulator during Grand Prix weekends to inform trackside strategy, was created for her.
    — Danielle McNally, InStyle, 28 May 2026
Definition of commonplace
Noun
  • Isn’t the saying that a tight end is a young quarterback’s best friend?
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
  • That saying, however, turns out to be true on a number of levels, with an increasing volume of research supporting the statement.
    — Will Boyd, Baltimore Sun, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of saying
Noun
  • The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The sentences, packed with jargon, beat me down with their elaborate banality.
    — Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of banality

Browse Nearby Words

groaned
groaner
groaners
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Cite this Entry

“Groaner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groaner. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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