trite applies to a once effective phrase or idea spoiled from long familiarity.
"you win some, you lose some" is a trite expression
hackneyed stresses being worn out by overuse so as to become dull and meaningless.
all of the metaphors and images in the poem are hackneyed
stereotyped implies falling invariably into the same pattern or form.
views of minorities that are stereotyped and out-of-date
threadbare applies to what has been used until its possibilities of interest have been totally exhausted.
a mystery novel with a threadbare plot
Example Sentences
The wrong sort of built environment, she argued, wrecked the social fabric of cities. This view seems almost trite today, but in the 1960's it was insurgent. Robert Kuttner, New York Times Book Review, 12 Mar. 2000Experts are always unique (their tritest pronouncements are packaged as news) … Wendy Kaminer, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 1990Its wares are soiled with frequent handling; its styles are so hackneyed, trite, and homogeneous, they constitute a single style … Joyce Carol Oates, The Profane Art, 1983 That argument has become trite. the speaker offered disappointingly trite sentiments about embracing each challenge as an opportunity
Recent Examples on the WebHis speech to Botvinnik about the stakes — potential nuclear annihilation — and the need to look across the negotiating table and see themselves, could feel trite, but instead reveals his sincerity. Terry Byrne, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Aug. 2022 The criticism follows years of trite pop songs’ dominating users’ For You Pages. Morgan Sung, NBC News, 24 May 2022 Basically, all the trite notions that eventually would give way to superstars offering the spectacular during the penultimate round of the postseason. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 18 May 2022 One is merely offended by Reeves’s obvious political allegories that are too vague and trite to take seriously. Armond White, National Review, 4 Mar. 2022 At the same time, the vocabulary isn’t trite, and there aren’t too many proper names.New York Times, 29 May 2022 One more piece of advice: don’t listen to trite advice like this from founders. Rachel King, Fortune, 1 May 2022 Others will note that the Reagan decade has become a trite touchstone for forward-thinking artists making plays for radio—check out Mitski’s and The Weeknd’s 2022 albums. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2022 There are instances where taking the fiercely independent female character and giving her a romance plot can feel trite, even patronizing.ELLE, 26 Mar. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Latin tritus, from past participle of terere to rub, wear away — more at throw entry 1