trite

[ trahyt ]
See synonyms for: tritetriteness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,trit·er, trit·est.
  1. lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition; hackneyed; stale: the trite phrases in his letter.

  2. characterized by hackneyed expressions, ideas, etc.: The commencement address was trite and endlessly long.

  1. Archaic. rubbed or worn by use.

Origin of trite

1
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin trītus “worn, common,” past participle of terere “to rub, wear down”

synonym study For trite

1. See commonplace.

Other words for trite

Opposites for trite

Other words from trite

  • tritely, adverb
  • triteness, noun
  • un·trite, adjective
  • un·trite·ly, adverb
  • un·trite·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use trite in a sentence

  • He grimaced at the triteness of the words, at the same time realizing that a basic truth lurked there.

    Deathworld | Harry Harrison
  • The meagerness and triteness of the music and piece astonished me.

    Records of a Girlhood | Frances Ann Kemble
  • Our minds become easily deadened to its real import, and the examples we cite in illustration of it have an air of triteness.

  • Mrs. Weaver made this latter announcement with an air of triumph in its triteness.

    The Wizard's Daughter and Other Stories | Margaret Collier Graham
  • Don Luis Perenna had begun to read in emphatic tones, bringing out the imbecility of the words and the triteness of the rhythm.

    The Secret of Sarek | Maurice Leblanc

British Dictionary definitions for trite

trite

/ (traɪt) /


adjective
  1. hackneyed; dull: a trite comment

  2. archaic frayed or worn out

Origin of trite

1
C16: from Latin trītus worn down, from terere to rub

Derived forms of trite

  • tritely, adverb
  • triteness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012