cliche
cliche Lexical Profile
cliche Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A phrase, expression, or idea that has been overused to the extent that it loses its original meaning or novelty.
"Starting a graduation speech with a dictionary definition is an old cliche."
A metal casting of a printing surface, such as a stereotype or electrotype plate.
"The historical printing press still contained the original metal cliche used for the newspaper's masthead."
• adjective
Overused, predictable, and lacking in originality.
"The director avoided using a cliche plot twist at the end of the thriller."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often spelled "cliché" with an acute accent, the word is traditionally a noun, though its uninflected form "cliche" is now widely accepted as an adjective alongside the standard participial form "clichéd."
• Rhymes for cliche
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 19th century from French cliché, the past participle of clicher ('to stereotype'), an imitative word representing the clicking sound of molten metal striking a matrix during printing.