Words / C2

TRYT/traɪt/

Trite means stale from overuse: a trite slogan, trite wisdom. Hackneyed (already in the dictionary) is a close cousin; clichéd is everyday. Banal is empty as well as familiar. Do not call a precise technical term trite just because experts use it often.

Meaning

Overused and therefore uninteresting.

Examples

• ““Every cloud has a silver lining” is a trite closer for a serious report.”
• ““At the end of the day” is a trite closer for a serious incident report.”
• “A proverb can be true and still trite in a methods paragraph.”

Good to know

Stale from overuse. Close: hackneyed / clichéd. Empty cousin: banal. Not “standard technical wording”.

Near in meaning

hackneyed

New