noun
-
a trite, dull, or obvious remark or statement; a commonplace
-
staleness or insipidity of thought or language; triteness
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of platitude
First recorded in 1805–15; from French: literally, “flatness,” equivalent to plat “flat” ( cf. plate 1) + -itude -tude ( def. )
Explanation
If an executive gives a speech that begins, "This business is all about survival of the fittest. You need to burn the midnight oil and take one for the team," his employees might get sick of listening to these meaningless clichés and tell him to cut the platitudes. The English language contains many old, worn-out clichés, or platitudes. Phrases like "ants in your pants" and "as American as apple pie" are so overused that they've almost lost their meaning. People rely on these tired old remarks when they can't think of anything original to say. Be warned: if you throw too many platitudes into your conversations, people are eventually going to get tired of listening to you.
Vocabulary lists containing platitude
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Words for the High School Graduate
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As the platitude goes, the cost of community is convenience.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 19, 2026
His platitude of “humility is only a day away” feels more like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2025
Its wheels’ gold rims, capped with smiley faces, are emblazoned with the platitude “Where Dreams Are Made,” while the whole thing is ornamented with piped-icing filigree.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
The head of the oil and gas regulator says cutting the sector's carbon emissions is not "a platitude or a soundbite" but presents significant commercial benefits.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2025
But if I’ve learned one thing in my short sad life, it is that that particular platitude is a lie.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Her attempts at dialogue met with platitudes and obvious falsehoods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Alongside telling it to avoid platitudes, it said Codex should "never talk about goblins, gremlins, raccoons, trolls, ogres, pigeons, or other animals or creatures unless it is absolutely and unambiguously relevant to the user's query".
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
Neville is smart enough as a documentarian to leave out platitudes, but also to let access to Michaels’ Maine retreat be a vibe rather than some knockout reveal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
Then again, some of the recent layoff announcements have included details about AI usage that aren’t the usual platitudes.
From Barron's ● Apr. 15, 2026
Maybe that’s true, but cliché platitudes rarely help.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
