trite
Americanadjective
-
lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition; hackneyed; stale.
the trite phrases in his letter.
- Synonyms:
- ordinary
- Antonyms:
- original
-
characterized by hackneyed expressions, ideas, etc..
The commencement address was trite and endlessly long.
-
Archaic. rubbed or worn by use.
adjective
-
hackneyed; dull
a trite comment
-
archaic frayed or worn out
Usage
What does trite mean? Trite describes something as being boring or ineffective because it is used so much, as in All politicians seem to make the same trite promises to be honest. Something that is trite is stale and worn out. It’s most often used to criticize or insult someone’s speech or writing ability. Example: This lecture kept going in circles and was so trite.
Related Words
See commonplace.
Other Word Forms
- tritely adverb
- triteness noun
- untrite adjective
- untritely adverb
- untriteness noun
Etymology
Origin of trite
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin trītus “worn, common,” past participle of terere “to rub, wear down”
Explanation
When you want to indicate that something is silly or overused, you would call it trite. A love song with lyrics about holding hands in the sunshine? Totally trite. Trite has a Latin root, the past participle of terere, meaning "wear out." An old-fashioned or outdated definition of the word is "frayed or worn out by use," and you can see how the meaning for an object that is worn out can be applied to an idea that has been used to the point of being meaningless. The antonym of this word is original.
Vocabulary lists containing trite
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Sickly Sweet Treats: Sappy and Insincere Valentine Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She found its themes trite, and its prose subpar.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
My exposure to this all stems from being around salespeople who were not competent and didn’t have a clue in how to sell, so they fell back on trite sayings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
“It comes across as a little bit trite, and it’s lacking perspective. It’s not as if the universe is rotating around you, and it takes a level of maturity to see that.”
From MarketWatch • Jan. 23, 2026
Only 7 herself at the time of filming, she has none of those trite child-actor tics like over-mannered naivete or phony cheek.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2025
On General Hospital or Guiding Light a similar story might come off as trite or even laughable.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
