platitude

(plăt'ĭ-tūd', -tyūd')
n.

1. A trite or banal remark or statement, especially one expressed as if it were original or significant. See synonyms at cliché.
2. Lack of originality; triteness.

[French, from plat, flat, from Old French. See plate.]

platitudinous plat'i·tu'di·nous (-tūd'n-əs, -tyūd'-) or plat'i·tu'di·nal (-tūd'n-əl, -tyūd'-) adj.
platitudinously plat'i·tu'di·nous·ly adv.

View more Literature & Language videos

noun

A trite expression or idea: banality, bromide, cliché, commonplace, stereotype, truism. See surprise/expect.

n

Definition: dullness; overused saying
Antonyms: coinage, nuance

A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

n.

The fundamental element and special glory of popular literature. A thought that snores in words that smoke. The wisdom of a million fools in the diction of a dullard. A fossil sentiment in artificial rock. A moral without the fable. All that is mortal of a departed truth. A demi-tasse of milk-and-mortality. The Pope's-nose of a featherless peacock. A jelly-fish withering on the shore of the sea of thought. The cackle surviving the egg. A desiccated epigram.

---

Quotes:

"In spite of his practical ability, some of his experience had petrified into maxims and quotations." - George Eliot

"The Republicans stroke platitudes until they purr like epigrams." - Adlai E. Stevenson

"In modern life nothing produces such an effect as a good platitude. It makes the whole world kin." - Oscar Wilde

For a list of words related to platitude, see:

• Rhetoric and Figures of Speech - platitude: trite or commonplace remark; cliché

---

See words rhyming with "platitude."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Platitude.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - floskel, banalitet

Nederlands (Dutch)
nietszeggende opmerking (platheid), het gebruik van platheden, het saai/ nietszeggend zijn

Français (French)
n. - platitude, lieu commun

Deutsch (German)
n. - Platitüde, Gemeinplatz

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - κοινοτοπία, τετριμμένη έκφραση

Italiano (Italian)
banalità

Português (Portuguese)
n. - lugar comum (m), trivialidade (f)

Русский (Russian)
банальность

Español (Spanish)
n. - tópico, lugar común

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - plattityd

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
单调, 陈腐, 平凡

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 單調, 陳腐, 平凡

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 단조로움, 상투어

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 単調, 平凡, 陳腐, 平凡な説, きまり文句

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) تفاهه, ابتذال, ملاحظه مبتذله‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שטחיות, שגרתיות, אמרה חבוטה, משפט בנלי‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.