trite

Trite is an adjective used to describe ideas, expressions, or works that lack freshness or originality due to overuse or conventionality. A trite remark feels safe and predictable, often because it relies on familiar phrasing rather than genuine insight. Trite ideas or plots tend to reduce impact by signaling a common, recycled approach rather than a distinctive point of view.

The term derives from Latin tritus, the past participle of terere "to rub, grind," meaning worn down by use. In English it has been used since the early modern period to denote something worn-out by repetition.

In criticism, triteness is a relative judgment: a statement may be technically common without being tiresome if it offers context or novelty; conversely a phrase may be clichéd even if used sparingly. Clichés, hackneyed phrases, and platitudes frequently register as trite. Triteness appears in journalism, advertising, popular fiction, and public discourse, often reflecting genre conventions or social norms rather than individual ingenuity. It can also function ironically when used knowingly.

Avoiding triteness involves specificity, fresh imagery, subverting expectations, and precise articulation. Writers may challenge overgeneralizations, foreground concrete details, or refract familiar ideas through a unique perspective.

See also: cliché, banal, hackneyed, platitude.