as in cliché
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
a screenplay that reads like a catalog of mystery-thriller tropes the narrative trope of two rival characters falling in love by the end of the story
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Recent Examples of trope
This also allows hard sci-fi writers to breathe new life into tired tropes.
—
Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 24 Mar. 2026
Writers in this genre (like Christine de Pizan, for example, who is sometimes regarded as one of the first feminist authors) often attacked the misogynistic tropes common in the literature of their own time.
—Chandler Fritz, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2026
The second thing that strikes me more and actually amazes me is the fact that this is a story, a trope, that is repeated in most of the presentation of Agnes Pockels.
—Mariel Carr, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2026
But there also are fears that the focus on Israel is the leading edge of an antisemitic fringe that has gained ground by portraying Jews as shadowy manipulators, echoing some of history's most hateful tropes.
—ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trope
Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 24 Mar. 2026
Writers in this genre (like Christine de Pizan, for example, who is sometimes regarded as one of the first feminist authors) often attacked the misogynistic tropes common in the literature of their own time.
—Chandler Fritz, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2026
The second thing that strikes me more and actually amazes me is the fact that this is a story, a trope, that is repeated in most of the presentation of Agnes Pockels.
—Mariel Carr, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2026
But there also are fears that the focus on Israel is the leading edge of an antisemitic fringe that has gained ground by portraying Jews as shadowy manipulators, echoing some of history's most hateful tropes.
—ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trope
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trope
Noun
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But, travel experts say, that truism doesn't apply during this tumultuous period.—
ANDREA SACHS THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
29 Mar. 2026
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That is a truism of NFL free agency.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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By the time Szeemann was invited to organize two consecutive installments of the Venice Biennale (in 1999 and 2001), the criticism of curators’ assuming the role of meta-artists, in Szeemann’s case with quasi-shamanistic aspirations, had become a commonplace.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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But little things can turn the commonplace into tragedy.—
Dave Duffey,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But for UConn, the platitudes feel profoundly honest.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
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Donovan reiterated a series of platitudes that haven’t changed during his time with the Bulls.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trope.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trope. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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