as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull
the film's clichéd story of an underdog who overcomes insurmountable odds to win
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Recent Examples of clichéd
When Daisy slams the bedroom door in frustration, June can’t help but smile at the cliched rebellion.
—
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Honking horns and screeching tires used to be a cliched scene-setting device for writers describing Paris.
—Marie Patino, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
A day to profile that cliched ‘Manchester United DNA’.
—Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The negotiation chatter between Sam and train authorities is tightly intercut with Marsha confronting danger in a cabin in the woods, a rather cliched side story that doesn’t add much.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
There are only states of being — all stories have become obsolete and cliched, and have resolved themselves.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In one rather cliched moment, Springsteen is buying his first new car.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside him, the scared but somehow quietly reassuring presence of Ferrera leavens the potential for cliched action-hero theatrics by giving the film a rare but for once very real sense of peril.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
The confident smile the until then timid Giulio wears on his face as a result is equally cliched.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2025
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Honking horns and screeching tires used to be a cliched scene-setting device for writers describing Paris.
—Marie Patino, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
A day to profile that cliched ‘Manchester United DNA’.
—Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The negotiation chatter between Sam and train authorities is tightly intercut with Marsha confronting danger in a cabin in the woods, a rather cliched side story that doesn’t add much.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
There are only states of being — all stories have become obsolete and cliched, and have resolved themselves.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In one rather cliched moment, Springsteen is buying his first new car.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside him, the scared but somehow quietly reassuring presence of Ferrera leavens the potential for cliched action-hero theatrics by giving the film a rare but for once very real sense of peril.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
The confident smile the until then timid Giulio wears on his face as a result is equally cliched.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clichéd
Adjective
-
In some cases, praise took on overtly stereotyped forms: words like 'love' were used disproportionately with female students, while 'powerful' appeared only for Black students.—
Rachel del Guidice,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Latinos are a fundamental part of American history and culture, and one of the largest communities in the United States, yet their presence in Hollywood has long been limited, stereotyped, or overlooked.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The film, which stars Hannah Einbinder as a filmmaker tasked with revamping a tired summer camp horror franchise with its cryptic lead played by Gillian Anderson in tow, is set to make its way to theaters this August.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
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Each day, after teaching classes for a local extension office, taking online courses and caring for everyone, Denise is just tired.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Maybe so, but think of how badly Congress had stated those hackneyed ideas.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
While not exactly a feminist screed, the script grants nary a free pass to the glut of hackneyed gender conventions in the golden-age canon without at least cracking a joke.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Jim Queen feeds into (and off of) the trite tribalism of so much creaky gay fiction, but ultimately wants to tear down that paradigm and establish a healthy kind of pluralism for all M4Ms.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
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Major television shows have been accused of generating trite plot points using AI.—
Jamil Zaki,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clichéd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9d. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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