truism

noun

ˈtrü-ˌi-zəm How to pronounce truism (audio)
Definition of truismnext
as in cliché
an idea or expression that has been used by many people ended his letter with the overused truism, "You can't win them all!"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 truism There’s a truism that all models are wrong, but some are useful. — ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026 This is certainly true—and a rather banal truism. — The Atlantic, 16 June 2026 Rick Jackson is testing that truism in his campaign for Georgia governor. — Jesse Bedayn, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026 His deep arsenal gives him a chance to handle a truism of the craft. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 8 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for truism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truism
  1. platitude
  2. commonplace
  3. proverb
  4. trope
  5. saying
  6. banality
  7. bromide
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
  • And no, this isn’t the typical platitude a coach might share retroactively, after a former player becomes an all-time great.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of platitude
Noun
  • Wolff was only the eighth woman to drive a Formula 1 car (four more have done it since); the role, a now-commonplace one that includes driving the simulator during Grand Prix weekends to inform trackside strategy, was created for her.
    — Danielle McNally, InStyle, 28 May 2026
  • The videos are often integrated into larger montages of drone strikes, underscoring how commonplace these drones have become for Russian forces.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Definition of commonplace
Noun
  • That proverb, attributed to everyone from Yogi Berra to a Danish Nobel laureate, springs to mind whenever someone asks me about an upcoming NFL season.
    — Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • An ancient proverb notes that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of proverb
Noun
  • 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
Definition of trope
Noun
  • But there is a saying in the military that leadership sets the tone, and when the most senior leaders are flippant at best, and cruel at worst, many will understand that to be the permissible standard.
    — Andrea N. Goldstein, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There’s an old saying in football that the best gig is that of the assistant coach.
    — JOE DAVIDSON, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of saying
Noun
  • Then morning would come, with all the banalities that drew them apart.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Of course, when a person live-streams long enough, banality can eventually give way to horror.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of banality
Noun
  • The team used a mixture of zinc chloride and lithium bromide salts to dissolve the cellulose.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The fire contained compounds from more than two dozen chemical families, including dangerous amounts of bromide, a naturally occurring element that can irritate the skin and mucus membranes.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of bromide

Browse Nearby Words

trueness
truism
truisms
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Truism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truism. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All