as in clichés
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tropes
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.
—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 July 2026
Someone who is actually drawing on the tropes and the techniques of science fiction toward a different end, toward actually accessing capital markets.
—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
3 July 2026
The framing often positions Clark, a white player, as fragile and in need of shielding from predominantly Black opponents, reinforcing racist tropes about Black women being overly aggressive.
—
Lindsey Darvin,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
And O’Flynn is its breakout star, achieving fan-favorite status not by regurgitating girls-in-horror tropes but by bringing Royal Academy gravitas to a character who might have initially read like a wallflower.
—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
Copyright law doesn’t protect general ideas or tropes considered standard in the treatment of particular topics (think a getaway driver in a heist movie) — only the particular expression of those ideas.
—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
29 June 2026
While the crime plot is an obvious highlight, I was stunned by Tilly and Gershon’s incredible chemistry and the rejection of stereotypical noir tropes.
—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
28 June 2026
This cannot happen if lazy tropes around risk and governance continue to overshadow the ingenuity already present on the continent.
—
Jeremy Ebobisse,
Time,
26 June 2026
In addition to reinforcing graphic-design tropes, Claude Design tends to direct all of its users toward the same libraries of open-source code, the tools behind user-interface design.
—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
24 June 2026
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 July 2026
Someone who is actually drawing on the tropes and the techniques of science fiction toward a different end, toward actually accessing capital markets.
—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
3 July 2026
The framing often positions Clark, a white player, as fragile and in need of shielding from predominantly Black opponents, reinforcing racist tropes about Black women being overly aggressive.
—
Lindsey Darvin,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
And O’Flynn is its breakout star, achieving fan-favorite status not by regurgitating girls-in-horror tropes but by bringing Royal Academy gravitas to a character who might have initially read like a wallflower.
—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
Copyright law doesn’t protect general ideas or tropes considered standard in the treatment of particular topics (think a getaway driver in a heist movie) — only the particular expression of those ideas.
—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
29 June 2026
While the crime plot is an obvious highlight, I was stunned by Tilly and Gershon’s incredible chemistry and the rejection of stereotypical noir tropes.
—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
28 June 2026
This cannot happen if lazy tropes around risk and governance continue to overshadow the ingenuity already present on the continent.
—
Jeremy Ebobisse,
Time,
26 June 2026
In addition to reinforcing graphic-design tropes, Claude Design tends to direct all of its users toward the same libraries of open-source code, the tools behind user-interface design.
—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
24 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tropes
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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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.
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.
Cite this Entry
“Tropes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tropes. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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