cliché
American Heritage Dictionary:
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cli·ché
also cliche (klē-shā') 
n.
n.
- A trite or overused expression or idea: "Even while the phrase was degenerating to cliché in ordinary public use . . . scholars were giving it increasing attention" (Anthony Brandt).
- A person or character whose behavior is predictable or superficial: "There is a young explorer . . . who turns out not to be quite the cliche expected" (John Crowley).
[French, past participle of clicher, to stereotype (imitative of the sound made when the matrix is dropped into molten metal to make a stereotype plate).]
SYNONYMS cliché, bromide, commonplace, platitude, truism. These nouns denote an expression or idea that has lost its originality or force through overuse: a short story weakened by clichés; the old bromide that we are what we eat; uttered the commonplace "welcome aboard"; a eulogy full of platitudes; a once-original thought that has become a truism.
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cliché
Roget's Thesaurus:
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cliche
noun
- A trite expression or idea: banality, bromide, commonplace, platitude, stereotype, truism. See surprise/expect.
Antonyms by Answers.com:
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cliche
n
Definition: overused, hackneyed phrase
Antonyms: coinage, nuance
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A much used expression that has lost its freshness and descriptive power. Some clichés are “I thank you from the bottom of my heart” and “It's only a drop in the bucket.”
Word Tutor:
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cliche
IN BRIEF: An expression or idea that has become stale from too much use.
It is best not to use a cliche when writing your report.
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Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'cliché'
- Rhetoric and Figures of Speech - cliché: stereotyped expression; trite description; banality; platitude; truism
- Drivel and Silly Talk
See crossword solutions for the clue Translations:
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Cliché
Français (French)
n. - (Typ, fig) cliché
Deutsch (German)
n. - Klischee
Italiano (Italian)
cliché, luogo comune
Português (Portuguese)
n. - lugar-comum (m)
Español (Spanish)
n. - cliché, tópico, lugar común, frase estereotipada
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kliché (typogr.), klyscha
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) تعبير أو اصطلاح مكرر و مبتذل
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: Grammar
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and
James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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