platitude
[ plat-i-tood, -tyood ]
/ ˈplæt ɪˌtud, -ˌtyud /
noun
a flat, dull, or trite remark, especially one uttered as if it were fresh or profound.
the quality or state of being flat, dull, or trite: the platitude of most political oratory.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
Origin of platitude
1805–15; < French: literally, flatness, equivalent to plat flat (see plate1) + -itude, as in French latitude, altitude, magnitude, etc.
Can be confusedplatitude plaudit
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for platitude
British Dictionary definitions for platitude
platitude
/ (ˈplætɪˌtjuːd) /
noun
a trite, dull, or obvious remark or statement; a commonplace
staleness or insipidity of thought or language; triteness
Derived Formsplatitudinous, adjective
Word Origin for platitude
C19: from French, literally: flatness, from plat flat
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for platitude
platitude
1812, "dullness," from French platitude "flatness, vapidness" (late 17c.), from Old French plat "flat" (see plateau (n.)); formed on analogy of latitude, etc. Meaning "a flat, dull, or commonplace remark" is recorded from 1815. Related: Platitudinous. Hence platitudinarian (n.), 1855; platitudinize (1867).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper