cliche

/ˈkliːʃeɪ/ (bre, ipa) · [kliʃˈe] /kliːˈʃeɪ/ (ame, ipa) · [kliʃˈe] /klē-ˈshā ˈklē-ˌshā, kli-ˈshā/ (ame, mw) · /ˈkliː.ʃeɪ/ (bre, ipa)

cliche — noun

  • clichesingular
  • clichesplural

1. A phrase or idea repeated so often by so many people that it now sounds empty an

1.名詞B2
釋義

A phrase or idea repeated so often by so many people that it now sounds empty and uninteresting.

例句

Wren opened her speech with a cliché about chasing dreams, and the audience sighed.

Asher's coach brought out the oldest cliché in sport: 'there is no I in team.'

collocation: oldest cliché

同義詞
  • platitude

    a dull, moralising remark presented as if it were wise; narrower than cliché in tone and purpose

  • banality

    a remark so ordinary and flat that it feels meaningless; emphasises dullness rather than repetition

  • truism

    a statement so obviously true that saying it adds nothing; neutral in judgment

反義詞
  • originality

    the quality of being fresh and inventive in what you say or write

文法句型

cliché + about + topic

it is a cliché that + clause

old + cliché

tired + cliché

用法筆記

Also spelled cliché (with an acute accent on the e). Both spellings are widely accepted, though cliché reflects the original French more closely. Countable when referring to a specific overused phrase ('a cliché about love'); uncountable when referring to the general quality of using such language ('His writing is full of cliché').

常見錯誤

❌That saying is so true — it is not a cliché.
✅That saying may be true, but it is still a cliché because everyone says it.
💡a cliché can be factually correct; the problem is the loss of impact from overuse, not falsehood.

2. Something — a situation, person, or object — that feels tired and boring because

2.名詞B2
釋義

Something — a situation, person, or object — that feels tired and boring because the same pattern has been seen too many times before.

例句

Constanza groaned — the villain's tragic backstory was a cliché she had seen before.

collocation: a cliché she had seen before

Aylin worried her startup idea sounded like a cliché — two friends in a garage.

collocation: sound like a cliché

同義詞
  • stereotype

    a fixed, oversimplified image of a group of people; more social and less about repetition fatigue

  • trope

    a common narrative device; neutral or analytical, unlike cliché which is always critical

  • commonplace

    an ordinary thing or event; carries no negative judgment about originality

反義詞
  • original

    someone or something fresh and unlike anything that has come before

文法句型

become + a cliché

sound like + a cliché

turn + noun + into a cliché

something of a cliché

用法筆記

Frequently used in patterns like 'become a cliché' and 'sound like a cliché.' Subject is typically a plot device, character type, or social situation rather than a concrete physical object. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about things and people that feel predictable, not about overused phrases.

常見錯誤

❌That movie was so cliché.' (using cliché as an adjective when referring to a predictable plot)
✅That movie was full of clichés.
💡for a predictable plot, cliché is still a noun; the adjective cliché (or clichéd) applies to the quality, not the thing itself.

cliche — adjective