platitude

C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈplætəˌtud/ UK /ˈplætɪˌtjuːd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a trite or overused remark presented as though it were original or profound

His speech offered nothing but tired platitudes about hard work.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a trite or overused remark... clichebanality truism commonplace bromidetritenesschestnut

Opposites

epigram insight novelty

Word family

Derived forms platitudinousplatitudinize

Etymology

From French platitude ('flatness, dullness'), from plat ('flat'), modeled on words like 'latitude'. The figurative sense of a flat, dull remark is the original French meaning.

platitude French plat Old French

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# platitude

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈplætəˌtud/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈplætɪˌtjuːd/

## Meanings
1. a trite or overused remark presented as though it were original or profound

## Examples
- His speech offered nothing but tired platitudes about hard work.

## Synonyms
- cliche
- banality
- truism
- commonplace
- bromide
- triteness
- chestnut

## Antonyms
- epigram
- insight
- novelty

## Derived Forms
- platitudinous
- platitudinize

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: platitude
- Root: plat

## Etymology
From French platitude ('flatness, dullness'), from plat ('flat'), modeled on words like 'latitude'. The figurative sense of a flat, dull remark is the original French meaning.

## AI Etymology
Platitude is from French platitude ('flatness, dullness'), from plat ('flat'), modeled on words like 'latitude'. The figurative sense of a flat, dull remark is the original French meaning. Important recorded forms include platitude (French) and plat (Old French). The modern sense follows that older lexical line closely. In current use it covers a trite or overused remark presented as though it were original or profound. The wider family includes derived forms such as platitudinous and platitudinize.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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platitude

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