cliché

Or cli·che

[klee-shey, kli-]

noun

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.

adjective

1. trite; hackneyed; stereotyped; clichéd.

cliché

/ 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

cliché

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.”

Other Word Forms

• clichéd adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cliché¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cliché¹

C19: from French, from clicher to stereotype; imitative of the sound made by the matrix when it is dropped into molten metal

Example Sentences

There’s not too much of this kind of gay cliché, though Mr. Heizer is required to make his character an obvious target among his macho “brethren,” some of whom—shockingly—may be gay themselves.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“We see the world differently. I understood it and it never felt cliché.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Just as important, Kirk sensed and exploited the complacency and weakness of liberal culture, and understood, in the cliché of our age, that politics is a downstream subsidiary.

Read more on Salon

If it is accidental, it’s still commendable that the android’s personality fluctuations look like a conversation with that cinematic cliché.

Read more on Salon

Hitler, as the cliché goes, built the autobahns, and Nazi Germany developed technologies like synthetic fuels, optical equipment and space flight that were ahead of the Western democracies.

Read more on Salon