platitude

noun

plat·​i·​tude ˈpla-tə-ˌtüd How to pronounce platitude (audio)
-ˌtyüd
1
: the quality or state of being dull or insipid
2
: a banal, trite, or stale remark

Examples of platitude in a Sentence

His speech was filled with familiar platitudes about the value of hard work and dedication. “blondes have more fun” is a silly platitude
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Wednesday's bizarre, inexact, and amorphous Rose Garden rally was a series of endless platitudes. Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025 The Portuguese novelist José Saramago is a master of such ironies, in which a narrator’s bland clichés and platitudes hang in the air, neither quite owned nor quite disavowed, waiting to be ironized by the action of the novel. James Wood, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025 Wednesday's bizarre, inexact, and amorphous Rose Garden rally was a series of endless platitudes. Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025 The film follows an ensemble of campers who are weary of platitudes about grief, and speak to one another from a place of radical honesty that is by turns heartbreaking and darkly hilarious, embracing irreverent humor as a cathartic means of self-expression. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for platitude

Word History

Etymology

French, from plat flat, dull

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of platitude was in 1762

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Platitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/platitude. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

platitude

noun
plat·​i·​tude ˈplat-ə-ˌt(y)üd How to pronounce platitude (audio)
1
: the quality or state of being dull or not stimulating
2
: an obvious, stale, or shallow remark

More from Merriam-Webster on platitude

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