trite

[trahyt] / traɪt /

ADJECTIVE

silly, commonplace

Synonyms

STRONGEST

banal corny dull hackneyed

WEAK

bathetic bromidic chain cliché clichéd common cornball drained exhausted familiar tune flat hokey jejune mildewed moth-eaten musty old hat ordinary pedestrian platitudinous prosaic ready-made routine run-of-the-mill set shopworn stale stereotyped stock threadbare timeworn tired uninspired unoriginal used-up vapid warmed-over well-worn worn worn-out

Antonyms

STRONGEST

fresh new original

WEAK

desirable important impressive pertinent relevant uncommon

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Quoting what may be Russian literature’s most famous line is a little trite, I’ll admit.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

Your friend will find something else; she doesn’t need a trite saying to confirm that.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026

My exposure to this all stems from being around salespeople who were not competent and didn’t have a clue in how to sell, so they fell back on trite sayings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

It’s a gag that’s funny five times and trite by the sixth, only to round back toward something warm and amiable by the final time it appears.

From Salon • Oct. 2, 2025

In books and movies they say, “Let’s talk about you,” or, “Tell me all about yourself”—but that is when they first meet, and seems trite anyway.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien

Vocabulary lists containing trite

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Sickly Sweet Treats: Sappy and Insincere Valentine Words

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