SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
cliche
noun
An expression or idea used so often that it has lost freshness or force.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Overused expression
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topA platitude is typically obvious or shallow; a cliche loses force through repeated use.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See cliche in use
The editor replaced a familiar cliche with a specific image from the scene.
One display paired a photograph with a caricature that enlarged the subject's spectacles and narrowed his already long face. The caption avoided the cliche that every serious artist must be a lonely genius, since that familiar idea explained little about this particular person.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license