cliché
Syllables: cli·chéUK/ˈkliː.ʃeɪ//kliˈʃeɪ/
cliché noun: something, most often a phrase or expression, that is overused or used outside its original context, so that its original impact and meaning are lost. A trite saying; a platitude.
Noun
cliché (plural clichés)
- Something, most often a phrase or expression, that is overused or used outside its original context, so that its original impact and meaning are lost. A trite saying; a platitude.
- The villain kidnapping the love interest is a bit of a cliché.
- I know it's a bit of a cliché, but love really does conquer all.
- Synonyms:
- convention, platitude, stereotype, trope, byword, saying, adage, saw, proverb, maxim
- A stereotype (printing plate).
Adjective
cliché (comparative more cliché, superlative most cliché)
- Clichéd; having the characteristics of a cliché.
Verb
cliché (third-person singular simple present clichés, present participle clichéing, simple past and past participle clichéd or (rare) clichéed)
- To use a cliché; to make up a word or a name that sounds like a cliché.
- He clichéd at me. He clichéd at me in a perky, condescending tone.2015, Shonda Rhimes, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person
cliché meaning in Hindi, Urdu, Tagalog and Arabic
cliché in Hindi
- overused phrase or expression
- क्लीशे klīśe
cliché in Urdu
- overused phrase or expression
- کِلِیشے kilīśe, کْلِیشے klīśe
cliché in Tagalog
- overused phrase or expression
- gasgas
- anything else that is overused
- gasgas
cliché in Arabic
- overused phrase or expression
- عِبَارَةٌ مُتَدَاوَلَة ʕibāratun mutadāwala, كْلِيشِيه klīšīh, رَوْسَم rawsam
- anything else that is overused
- رَوْسَم rawsam
More languagesFewer languages
- cliché in Malay
- klise
- cliché in Indonesian
- klise
- cliché in Vietnamese
- sáo ngữ
Synonyms of cliché
Forms of cliché
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | clichés |
| alternative form | cliche |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | more cliché |
| superlative | most cliché |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | clichés |
| present participle | clichéing |
| past participle | clichéd |
| past | clichéd |
| past participle (rare) | clichéed |
| past (rare) | clichéed |
Origin of cliché
Unadapted borrowing from French cliché.
Words formed from cliché
Questions about cliché
- What does cliché mean?
- Cliché means something, most often a phrase or expression, that is overused or used outside its original context, so that its original impact and meaning are lost. A trite saying; a platitude.
- What is cliché in Hindi?
- Cliché in Hindi is क्लीशे (klīśe). See Cliché meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is cliché?
- Cliché can be a noun, an adjective or a verb.
- How do you pronounce cliché?
- Cliché is pronounced /ˈkliː.ʃeɪ/ (UK).
- What is the plural of cliché?
- The plural of cliché is clichés.
Words near cliché in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: cliché (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-cliché.ogg.
Cite this entry: “cliché.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/clich%C3%A9. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.