as in cliche
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
ended his letter with the overused truism, "You can't win them all!"
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Recent Examples of truism
Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s Warfare is an admirable attempt to counter the truism that there’s no such thing as an anti-war movie — that all war movies, however gruesome or wrenching, effectively (and often unwittingly) wind up glamorizing combat to some degree.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
All that audiences at the Palace Theatre get is a picture of steak knives on the preshow curtain, then a picture of a Cadillac at intermission and then the text of the truism itself.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2025
These truisms posit that, for example, all human beings are inherently good.
—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
There’s a truism that outdoor dining was the one most visible silver lining of COVID’s disastrous impact on the city, and that seems plainly so.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for truism
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
All that audiences at the Palace Theatre get is a picture of steak knives on the preshow curtain, then a picture of a Cadillac at intermission and then the text of the truism itself.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2025
These truisms posit that, for example, all human beings are inherently good.
—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
There’s a truism that outdoor dining was the one most visible silver lining of COVID’s disastrous impact on the city, and that seems plainly so.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for truism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truism
Noun
-
There’s a warmth to the movie that makes its cliches feel earned, not lazy.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
-
Wilson delivered platitudes and cliches at the podium, but ultimately so far, the offense’s play has not been anywhere close to good enough in the open practices thus far.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Writing at length is to me always an act of learning and changing, in which authors can strive towards something more dimensional than a platitude on a placard.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 June 2025
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Craig starts off leading a stable (enough) existence, working a corporate job, exchanging platitudes with his teenage son Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer), ignoring hints of discontent from Tami, and taking pride in his big accomplishment of getting speed bumps installed on their street.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Luxury scented candles, like room sprays for that matter, have the power to elevate any moment: taking it from commonplace to utterly indulgent.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
26 Mar. 2025
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The Grand Ole Opry House holds 4,400 people, but can’t accommodate standing-room tours, a commonplace in genres like EDM and hip-hop.—
Matthew Leimkuehler,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Nobody plots against anyone, but nobody invokes ancient proverbs, either.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
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As the Chinese proverb suggests, U.S. tariffs aimed at Beijing have tested diplomacy and strategy between the two largest world economies.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Truism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truism. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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