Synonyms for platitude
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Cliche — an often-quoted saying that is supposed to be meaningful but has become unoriginal or hackneyed through…
2. Banality
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
An often-quoted saying that is supposed to be meaningful but has become unoriginal or hackneyed through overuse.
- n. 2
A claim that is trivially true, to the point of being uninteresting.
Related words
- Word family
- platitudinal platitudinize platitudinous
Forms
- Plural
- platitudes → cliches, maxims, proverbs, banalities…
Example sentences
- maxim He worked in his favorite maxim.
- cliche The cream exploded into a cliche in the author's coffee mug.
- proverb I want to know the meaning of this Berber proverb.
- commonplace Rice and noodles are commonplace in Chinese cuisine.
- banality Tom detests sandwiches because of their banality.
- truism To say that technology changes rapidly is to utter a truism.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| platitude | steady | |
| maxim | steady | |
| cliche | falling | |
| proverb | rising | |
| commonplace | rising | |
| banality | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- maxim2
- 6 letters
- cliche2, truism3
- 7 letters
- proverb2, bromide2
- 8 letters
- chestnut2, banality4
- 9 letters
- triteness
- 10 letters
- insipidity
- 11 letters
- commonplace3, mawkishness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (maxim2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- platitude
- Deutsch
- Plattitüde