tropes

plural of trope
as in clichés
an idea or expression that has been used by many people a screenplay that reads like a catalog of mystery-thriller tropes the narrative trope of two rival characters falling in love by the end of the story

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tropes The movie goes big on the ‘80s tropes for laughs, including over-the-top costumes and era-specific references, but the love story at its heart is timeless. Kara Nesvig, Parents, 29 Aug. 2026 Gacha games far too often fall into the same narrative and gameplay tropes. Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 29 Aug. 2026 By using two mediums to highlight the warm absurdity of the fairy-tale tropes, Enchanted cheekily celebrates what only animation can do. James Grebey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026 Briefly combining the friend groups makes for a rollicking start, and Season 2 keeps spirits high by leaning on a stockpile of sitcom tropes. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026 Vedder’s elliptical tales of adolescent trauma were a perfect fit with music that blended classic-rock tropes (especially McCready’s solos) with punk energy, grunge guitar tones and the groove-heavy vibe of early-Nineties alt-rock. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026 The cancellation of Not Suitable for Work raises questions about the viability of series that bet on largely unknown young actors and do not follow the conventional YA romantic tropes. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026 Authorities found a note on Karmelo Anthony's phone with a long list of disturbing racial tropes and slurs about Blacks, whites and Hispanics. J.d. Miles, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 Consider ordinary supernatural tropes absolutely wrecked while Faust treats history itself like a stubborn poltergeist. Shane Hawk, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tropes
Noun
  • Spain’s success over the past five years has undermined many long-standing political-economic truisms.
    Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
  • The play isn’t subtle; the final sequence leans hard on truisms about addiction and trauma, which are affecting but overly explicit.
    Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • As part of their annual Halloween decor drop, Anthropologie released Halloween bistro tile items that blend classic motifs and sayings with the Bistro Tile Collection’s Parisian style.
    Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Teachers of science, mathematics and English were expected to include Quranic verses, sayings and traditions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad or other religious messages in their lessons.
    Fatima Faizi, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • In between some of the manager’s more clip-worthy quotes, there were more of his usual — and not incorrect — platitudes.
    Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Today, Instagram unveiled a refresh of its wordmark, accompanied by the usual bland corporate platitudes these kinds of announcements are always packaged with.
    Aurich Lawson, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Tropes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tropes. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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