platitude

noun

ˈpla-tə-ˌtüd How to pronounce platitude (audio)
Definition of platitudenext
as in cliché
an idea or expression that has been used by many people "blondes have more fun" is a silly platitude

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 platitude By platitudes like a peaceful and dignified death and silly words like natural. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026 Running parallel to this butchery investigation is the arrival of perpetually hungover FBI agent Gwen Birgssen, played by British actress Lily James with an incomprehensible southern drawl and some clunky platitudes that veer into genre parody. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026 In between some of the manager’s more clip-worthy quotes, there were more of his usual — and not incorrect — platitudes. — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 And no, this isn’t the typical platitude a coach might share retroactively, after a former player becomes an all-time great. — Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for platitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for platitude
  1. truism
  2. bromide
  3. banality
  4. commonplace
  5. trope
  6. saying
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
  • At the time, the state used a three-drug execution protocol of midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The protocol involved an administration of an anesthetic, sodium thiopental, followed by pancuronium bromide, a paralytic agent, and finally by potassium chloride to stop the heart, all in much higher doses than they’re typically used.
    — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of bromide
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
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
  • 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
  • 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

Browse Nearby Words

platings
platitude
platitudes
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Cite this Entry

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

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