cliché

American  

[klee-shay, kli-] / kliˈʃeɪ, klɪ- /

Or cliche

noun

• clichés
  plural

1. a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse, as sadder but wiser, or strong as an ox.

   Synonyms:

   commonplace, stereotype, bromide, platitude

2. (in art, literature, drama, etc.) a trite or hackneyed plot, character development, use of color, musical expression, etc.

3. anything that has become trite or commonplace through overuse.

4. British Printing.

   1. a stereotype or electrotype plate.

   2. a reproduction made in a like manner.

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adjective

1. trite; hackneyed; stereotyped; clichéd.

cliché British  

/ ˈkliːʃeɪ /

noun

1. a word or expression that has lost much of its force through overexposure, as for example the phrase

   it's got to get worse before it gets better

2. an idea, action, or habit that has become trite from overuse

3. printing a stereotype or electrotype plate

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cliché Cultural  

1. A much used expression that has lost its freshness and descriptive power. Some clichés are “I thank you from the bottom of my heart” and “It's only a drop in the bucket.”

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• clichéd
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clichés
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cliché

First recorded in 1825–35; from French: “stereotype plate, stencil,” noun use of past participle of clicher “to make a stereotype plate,” said to be imitative of the sound of the metal pressed against the matrix

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Explanation

If you've heard an expression a million times, chances are it's a cliche. Cliche, also spelled cliché, is a 19th century borrowed word from the French which refers to a saying or expression that has been so overused that it has become boring and unoriginal. Think about the expressions "easy as pie," or "don't play with fire," or "beauty is skin deep." These are all cliches. A plot or action sequence in a film or novel can also be called a cliche if it has become dull and predictable through overuse.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cliché clichés

At the movies, the PTSD-suffering veteran is a familiar figure, bordering on cliché.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Against the risks of didacticism — or, God forbid, “preachiness” — I’ll take the productive tension of the occasional cliché or bald statement of purpose.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Calling him an old soul veers a little too close to cliché, but it’s clearly something that he’s heard all of his life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

"It's cliché but kind of creating and nourishing new life and new growth is just really the circle of life."

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Moss wished that conversation came easy to him, but as he read the text over and over again, every response he came up with sounded like a cliché.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Yes, it’s trite, but most clichés have an element of truth.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

But DC’s latest installment lands like a big hunk of Kryptonite for the dream of a superhero franchise that can transcend the genre’s clichés, Slate’s Dana Stevens writes.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

There’s an old joke that Shakespeare is full of clichés, and it’s funny because he invented them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

“Rollins hates clichés and signature phrases — ‘licks’ — and refuses to play them,” critic Stanley Crouch wrote in the New Yorker in 2005.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

Not unless she is imagined to be more than tired tropes and predictable clichés.

From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan

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