cliché
English
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
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. [from 19th c.]
- The villain kidnapping the love interest in a film is a bit of a cliché.
- (printing) A stereotype (printing plate).
Usage notes
Synonyms
- platitude
- stereotype
- See also Thesaurus:saying
Derived terms
- clichéd
- tired cliché
Translations
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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)
- (transitive, intransitive) To use a cliché; to make up a word or a name that sounds like a cliché.
- 2015, Huping Ling, Allan W. Austin, Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia
- While most of these small, family-owned eateries were mired in drab décor and had clichéd names like Golden Wok or China Gate, they made up for the kitsch with inexpensive prices.
- 2015, Shonda Rhimes, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person
- He clichéd at me. He clichéd at me in a perky, condescending tone.
- 2015, Huping Ling, Allan W. Austin, Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia
Dutch
Pronunciation
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: cli‧ché
French
Etymology
Past participle of clicher (“to stereotype, (originally) to copy”, literally “to click, clink”), from Middle French clicher, from Old French cliquer (“to click, clack, sound, resound”), of Germanic origin, related to Dutch klikken (“to click, rattle”), Low German klikken (“to click”), German klicken (“to click”), Danish klikke (“to click”), Swedish klicka (“to click”). Probably onomatopoeic, and probably influenced by Middle High German klitsch (“soft, pulpy mass”), from the old technique of creating a printing plate. More at click.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kliʃe/
Audio (file)
Noun
cliché m (plural clichés)
- (printing) stereotype (printing plate)
- La reproduction dans la presse de dessins et de photographies se fait au moyen de clichés typographiques.
- (please add an English translation of this usage example)
- (photography) negative
- (by extension) snapshot
- prendre un cliché ― take a snapshot
- (figuratively) cliché; stereotype (overused phrase or expression)
Synonyms
- (overused phrase): banalité, idée reçue, lieu commun, stéréotype
Descendants
Further reading
- “cliché” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Italian
Alternative forms
- cliscè
Polish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /klʲiˈʂɛ/
Declension
Indeclinable.
Spanish
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kliˈt͡ʃe/