platitude

American  

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

noun

• platitudes
  plural

1. a flat, dull, or trite remark, especially one uttered as if it were fresh or profound.

   Synonyms:

   truism, cliché

2. the quality or state of being flat, dull, or trite.

   the platitude of most political oratory.

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platitude British  

/ ˈplætɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. a trite, dull, or obvious remark or statement; a commonplace

2. staleness or insipidity of thought or language; triteness

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• platitudinous
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• platitudes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of platitude

First recorded in 1805–15; from French: literally, “flatness,” equivalent to plat “flat” ( cf. plate ¹) + -itude -tude ( def. )

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

platitude platitudes

And Parton’s utmost sincerity keeps Bree’s story from ever feeling like a half-thought platitude.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

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

Pearl waited for a parental platitude to follow: Life isn’t fair, or Fair doesn’t always mean right.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Another says, "He never spouts empty, feel-good platitudes; instead, he crouches down to face real-life dilemmas alongside us."

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Afterward, his father didn’t console him with platitudes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Reading Mr. Perl-Rosenthal makes one long for a time when nationalist platitudes and uncritical patriotism were suspect—and when the Fourth of July was both a celebration and a challenge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

This oil-and-water mix seems destined to generate stalemate, or nothing more than platitudes.

From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2026

My platitudes don’t hold their interest and I can hardly blame them for that.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

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Related Words

• banality
• bromide

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