stock phrases
Prefabricated verbal formulas
Stock phrases are ready-made expressions used so frequently they require little thought: At the end of the day, it is what it is, going forward.
They serve as verbal shortcuts in conversation, journalism, and corporate speech.
While efficient, heavy reliance on stock phrases can make language feel stale or evasive.
Also called clichés, though stock phrases emphasizes their prefabricated, off-the-shelf quality rather than their overuse.
- clichéOverused, unoriginal expression
- bromideOverused phrase or chemical
- proverbTraditional saying expressing truth
- maximBrief moral principle
- boilerplateStandardized reusable text
fixed expression · saying · idiom · platitude · mantra · aphorism · tried and true · catchphrase · quote · motto · adage · expression · axiom · traditional saying · kick the bucket · at the end of the day · bottom line · touch base
- expressionsexpression, I love you, idioms, thank you, I'm sorry
- phrasesidiom, idioms, clause, catchphrase, slogan
- Homeric Greekepithet, formula, hexameter, epithets, formulas
- sayingssayings, saying, proverb, proverbs, adage
- slangslang, jargon, lingo, argot, cant
- balladsballads, balladry, power ballads, pop ballads, country ballads
stock phrasesspontaneous speech
Unrehearsed verbal expression
original expression · ad-lib · creative expression · improvisation · stream of consciousness
stock, phrase, stocks, phrases, stocked, stocking, stocky, stockist, phrasing