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platitude

[ plat-i-tood, -tyood ]
/ ˈplæt ɪˌtud, -ˌtyud /
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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

banality, bromide, stereotype, tag, flatness, shibboleth, saw, truism, triviality, evenness, vapidity, buzzword, commonplace, monotony, proverb, motto, verbiage, inanity, insipidity, triteness

Nearby words

  1. platinum black,
  2. platinum blonde,
  3. platinum disc,
  4. platinum metal,
  5. platinum-blond,
  6. platitudinal,
  7. platitudinarian,
  8. platitudinize,
  9. platitudinous,
  10. plato

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for platitude

platitude

n.

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