as in clichés
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
another sitcom based on the banality of roommates with opposite personalities
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Recent Examples of banalities
Here, Laura, a magazine writer in London, drifts through old friendships, failed romances, and the gothic banalities of family life.
—
Air Mail,
20 June 2026
One effect of this austerity and repression is to focus attention on Albee’s language, with its slippery banalities and barbs.
—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
As far back as the Victorian era, exchanging a few banalities was part of a veritable social code—a way of signaling both politeness and boundaries.
—
Jeanne Ballion,
Vogue,
27 Dec. 2025
Written by Noah Oppenheim, Bigelow’s real-time thriller about the banalities and actualities of a fictional-in-premise-only nuclear attack on the United States is Netflix’s best horse in the race at the Oscars this year.
—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
19 Sep. 2025
Air Mail,
20 June 2026
One effect of this austerity and repression is to focus attention on Albee’s language, with its slippery banalities and barbs.
—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
As far back as the Victorian era, exchanging a few banalities was part of a veritable social code—a way of signaling both politeness and boundaries.
—
Jeanne Ballion,
Vogue,
27 Dec. 2025
Written by Noah Oppenheim, Bigelow’s real-time thriller about the banalities and actualities of a fictional-in-premise-only nuclear attack on the United States is Netflix’s best horse in the race at the Oscars this year.
—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banalities
Noun
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As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, some of America’s most visible business leaders are doing more than offering patriotic platitudes.
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There’s passable yet indistinguishable music in this exact style dropping every day, but the difference with Chicago’s Fatso is that his lyrics feel like scraps of conversations that communicate his hurt without leaning on platitudes.
Noun
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The president used similar bromides in private calls to assuage allies, including Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, before launching the war in February, according to people familiar with the conversations.
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While these songs might appear to be somewhat straightforward EBM that wear their politics on their latex sleeve, there’s a level of ambiguity at work that moves Kissing Luck Goodbye past its own bromides and into deeper artistic territory.
Noun
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Spain’s success over the past five years has undermined many long-standing political-economic truisms.
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The play isn’t subtle; the final sequence leans hard on truisms about addiction and trauma, which are affecting but overly explicit.
Noun
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The episode is replete with racist tropes and stereotypes, made all the worse by the fact that it's all presented as an unserious Halloween treat.
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Someone who is actually drawing on the tropes and the techniques of science fiction toward a different end, toward actually accessing capital markets.
Noun
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Arriving on July 17 through Mass Appeal, the project plays on one of his signature sayings while conveying his mindset at this stage in his personal and professional journey.
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Plus, score last-minute sayings on tech products from Bose, JBL, Anker, and more popular brands.
Cite this Entry
“Banalities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banalities. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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