cliched
Done to death
Cliched describes something that has become stale through overuse—a phrase, idea, or artistic choice that was once fresh but now feels tired and unoriginal.
A cliched love story follows predictable beats.
Cliched dialogue relies on expressions everyone has heard too many times.
Also spelled clichéd, preserving the French accent.
Overused and unoriginal
- triteOverused, lacking freshness
- banalUnoriginal and dull
- platitudinousOverused and unoriginal
- derivativeFunction's rate of change
imitative · copycat · rehashed · secondhand · borrowed · plagiaristic · parroted · formulaic
Depleted through overuse
- tiredLacking energy, needing rest
- threadbareWorn until transparent
- shopwornDeteriorated from display
- overworkedLaboring beyond healthy limits
well-worn · timeworn · beaten · exhausted · bromidic · warmed-over · old-hat · moth-eaten
Following a set template
- conventionalFollowing accepted practices
- expectedRegarded as likely
- foreseeableAble to be anticipated
- standardLevel of quality accepted
routine · typical · unsurprising · telegraphed · obvious · inevitable · anticipated · safe
Unoriginal and dull
- vapidDull, without depth
- insipidWithout flavor or interest
- prosaicLacking imagination or excitement
- pedestrianOne traveling afoot
humdrum · mundane · bland · flat · lifeless · colorless · spiritless · anemic
Cheap and insincere
- hokeyCheaply sentimental or contrived
- schmaltzyExcessively and insincerely sentimental
- sappyExcessively sentimental
- mawkishUnpleasantly overemotional
saccharine · sentimental · kitschy · hammy · overwrought · melodramatic · syrupy · treacly
No longer fashionable
- antiquatedOld and outdated
- outmodedNo longer in fashion
- old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
- outdatedNo longer in use
obsolete · archaic · anachronistic · fusty · dusty · musty · bygone · retro
hackneyed
Overused and unoriginal
- triteOverused, lacking freshness
- banalUnoriginal and dull
- platitudinousOverused and unoriginal
derivative · imitative · copycat · rehashed · secondhand · borrowed · plagiaristic · parroted · formulaic · stereotypical
worn-out
Depleted through overuse
- tiredLacking energy, needing rest
- threadbareWorn until transparent
- shopwornDeteriorated from display
overworked · well-worn · timeworn · beaten · exhausted · bromidic · warmed-over · old-hat · moth-eaten · overdone
formulaic
Following a set template
- conventionalFollowing accepted practices
- expectedRegarded as likely
- foreseeableAble to be anticipated
standard · routine · typical · unsurprising · telegraphed · obvious · inevitable · anticipated · safe · by-the-book
banal
Unoriginal and dull
pedestrian · humdrum · mundane · bland · flat · lifeless · colorless · spiritless · anemic · ho-hum
cheesy
Cheap and insincere
- hokeyCheaply sentimental or contrived
- schmaltzyExcessively and insincerely sentimental
- sappyExcessively sentimental
mawkish · saccharine · sentimental · kitschy · hammy · overwrought · melodramatic · syrupy · treacly · mushy
passé
No longer fashionable
- antiquatedOld and outdated
- outmodedNo longer in fashion
- old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
outdated · obsolete · archaic · anachronistic · fusty · dusty · musty · bygone · retro · yesterday
- sentimentalitymawkish, schmaltzy, saccharine, treacly, cloying
- descriptorsnew, novel, original, innovative, modern
- theatricaltheatrical, dramatic, melodramatic, histrionic, hammy