trite
Americanadjective
-
lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition; hackneyed; stale.
the trite phrases in his letter.
- Synonyms:
- ordinary
- Antonyms:
- original
-
characterized by hackneyed expressions, ideas, etc..
The commencement address was trite and endlessly long.
-
Archaic. rubbed or worn by use.
adjective
-
hackneyed; dull
a trite comment
-
archaic frayed or worn out
Usage
What does trite mean? Trite describes something as being boring or ineffective because it is used so much, as in All politicians seem to make the same trite promises to be honest.Something that is trite is stale and worn out. It’s most often used to criticize or insult someone’s speech or writing ability.Example: This lecture kept going in circles and was so trite.
Related Words
See commonplace.
Other Word Forms
- tritely adverb
- triteness noun
- untrite adjective
- untritely adverb
- untriteness noun
Etymology
Origin of trite
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin trītus “worn, common,” past participle of terere “to rub, wear down”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My exposure to this all stems from being around salespeople who were not competent and didn’t have a clue in how to sell, so they fell back on trite sayings.
“That sounds maybe trite or simple, but the only way we hold on to our democracy is if people continue to participate and continue to trust it and put their faith in it.”
From Los Angeles Times
What Thompson-Hernández’s art so easily dispels, no matter the genre it finds a home in, are all the knotty, misguided and trite representations of otherness in our contemporary world.
From Los Angeles Times
“It comes across as a little bit trite, and it’s lacking perspective. It’s not as if the universe is rotating around you, and it takes a level of maturity to see that.”
From MarketWatch
I don’t mean to sound trite or wilfully glib, but it’s merely the truth that every ending is followed by a beginning.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
