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What is the Difference Between cliché and stereotype?
The words cliché and stereotype have a good deal in common. Both come from French, both were originally printers’ terms, and both have come to take on somewhat negative meanings in modern use.
Their original meanings are essentially synonymous, referring to printing blocks from which numerous prints could be made. In fact, cliché means stereotype in French. Their modern meanings, however, are quite distinct. Cliché is today overwhelmingly encountered in reference to something hackneyed, such as an overly familiar or commonplace phrase, theme, or expression. Stereotype is most frequently now employed to refer to an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic.
Synonyms
Examples of cliché in a Sentence
William F. Buckley, Jr., National Review, 1 May 2000
FILM "I Like It Like That": It has every cliché of the 'hood genre, elevated by a strong woman protagonist and a few comic moments.
—Bell Hooks, Ms., September/October 1994
I'd never been out with a model before, so I hadn't even bargained on the cliché of the rock star and the model as being part of my life.
—David Bowie, quoted in Rolling Stone, 10 June 1993
Time has been the best healer for the pain of loss, just as the old cliché says, but letting go is still difficult.
—Lynn McAndrews, My Father Forgets, 1990
… don't seek the ultimate, general solution; find a corner that can be defined precisely and, as our new cliché proclaims, go for it.
—Stephen Jay Gould, Natural History, July 1987
a speech filled with clichés about “finding your way” and “keeping the faith”
The macho cop of Hollywood movies has become a cliché.
Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 20 Sep. 2024
These chatbots use a style and tone that is immediately identifiable to readers, one that is rife with cliches and an awkward cadence, experts say.
—Allie Volpe, Vox, 19 Sep. 2024
But the cliches along the 37-year-old’s career path sound novel.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Aug. 2024
At the same time, companies relying on ageist cliches and stereotypes in their ads experience backlash.
—Kristen Senz, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2024
But Shipp’s part nonetheless feels like a parade of cliches without much depth.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024
Coppola delights in the sights and sounds and tastes of the city, which — apologies for tacking on such a cliche to such a unique story — becomes its own character, a third wheel to the delicate spin between Bob and Charlotte.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2024
Chrysalis Chrysalis’s blend of woody tones and brightened neutrals evoke a sense of quiet luxury that’s less beholden to minimalist cliches, while color names like Grounded and Mindful Gray more overtly allude to a sense of confident calm.
—Tim Nelson, Architectural Digest, 31 July 2024
The references to her being unburdened by what has been or having just fallen out of a coconut tree are already cliches a little over a week into her campaign, yet both catchphrases are apt metaphors for her campaign strategy.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 July 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cliché.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Cliché.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clich%C3%A9. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cliché
noun
French, literally, "metal printing plate"
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