clichés
Overused familiar phrases
Clichés is the plural of cliché—phrases or ideas so overused they've lost their force: avoid clichés like the plague, his speech was full of clichés.
What begins as fresh expression becomes cliché through repetition: "thinking outside the box," "at the end of the day," "it is what it is." The word can also describe predictable elements in art or film: The movie relies on action-movie clichés.
Overused and unoriginal
- triteOverused, lacking freshness
- overusedEmployed too frequently
- worn-outDepleted through overuse
- banalUnoriginal and dull
platitude · bromide · truism · stock phrase · tired expression · boilerplate · formulaic · derivative
Fixed oversimplified notion
- generalizationDeriving principles from examples
- assumptionUnverified belief accepted as true
- prejudicePreformed unfavorable opinion
- biasUnfair inclination or prejudice
caricature · type · archetype · stock character · predictable · expected · familiar · recognizable
Short, wise expression
- expressionConveyed thought or feeling
- idiomFixed phrase, opaque meaning
- catchphraseSignature line of words
- buzzwordTrendy jargon, often hollow
slogan · mantra · soundbite · talking point · canned response · rote · parrot · echo chamber
hackneyed
Overused and unoriginal
banal · platitude · bromide · truism · stock phrase · tired expression · boilerplate · formulaic · derivative · stale
stereotype
Fixed oversimplified notion
- generalizationDeriving principles from examples
- assumptionUnverified belief accepted as true
- prejudicePreformed unfavorable opinion
bias · caricature · type · archetype · stock character · predictable · expected · familiar · recognizable · universal
saying
Short, wise expression
- expressionConveyed thought or feeling
- idiomFixed phrase, opaque meaning
- catchphraseSignature line of words
buzzword · slogan · mantra · soundbite · talking point · canned response · rote · parrot · echo chamber · groupthink
stock photo
Pre-made licensable photograph
- clip artPrefabricated digital graphics
- montageAssembled sequence of images
- motifRecurring thematic element
imagery · symbolism · trope · iconography · kitsch · cheese · corn · schmaltz · sentimentality · melodrama
clichésnovel ideas
Original, untried concepts
innovations · neologisms · coinages · inventions · creative expressions