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Platitude: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Platitude noun. A remark that has been made so often it sounds empty, however true.
How to say it
PLAT-ih-tyood/ˈplatɪtjuːd/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (PLAT). Forms: platitudes.
Platitude in a sentence
The press release was a string of platitudes about 'valuing every customer'.
'Everything happens for a reason' is a platitude, not comfort.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- cliché
- truism
- banality
- commonplace
Where platitude comes from
From French, from plat, flat, on the pattern of words like certitude.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
'Everything happens for a reason' is a _____, not comfort.
- platitude
- circumlocution
- cadence
Show the answer
platitude: 'Everything happens for a reason' is a platitude, not comfort.