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 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 Today, Instagram unveiled a refresh of its wordmark, accompanied by the usual bland corporate platitudes these kinds of announcements are always packaged with. — Aurich Lawson, ArsTechnica, 13 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
  • There’s so much premeditation and passion into doing that, and to actually play that with no music and just the sound and the banality of a lifeless body being hit by some blunt instrument is very viscerally upsetting.
    — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Then morning would come, with all the banalities that drew them apart.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of banality
Noun
  • 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
  • The videos are often integrated into larger montages of drone strikes, underscoring how commonplace these drones have become for Russian forces.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Definition of commonplace
Noun
  • The South London artist channels Disney soundtrack tropes into claustrophobic strings and drones, while a handful of vocal tracks hint darkly at real-world family drama.
    — Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2 manga laid the groundwork for some of the genre's most enduring tropes (gender switching, horny old guys, tournaments), and this is the second anime adaptation, this time from Studio MAPPA.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of trope
Noun
  • The old saying goes that rotation is the lifeblood of a bull market.
    — Todd Gordon, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Good fences might make good neighbors, as the old saying goes, but would a silk fence make a good fence?
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 6 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 10 Oct. 2026.

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