noun
platitude
Platitude (noun) means a remark that sounds wise but has been repeated so often it no longer means much.
noun
1
A remark that sounds wise but has been repeated so often it no longer means much.
"For most of the past three decades, the natural world was treated almost as an afterthought by world leaders. If discussed at all, it was with platitudes about the need to save polar bears and tigers."
— Jonathan Watts, Amazon fires show world heading for point of no return, says UN (2019)
2
A statement that is obviously true and therefore not worth making.
3
A lack of change or excitement; dullness.
"With the photograph, we enter into flat death. One day, leaving one of my classes, someone said to me with disdain, "You talk about death very flatly." — As if the horror of Death were not precisely its platitude!"
— Elissa Marder, Dead Time: Temporal Disorders in the Wake of Modernity (2001)
4
The quality of being dull and unoriginal.
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Etymology
Borrowed from French platitude, from plat (“flat”).
Synonyms
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Rhymes for platitude
See all rhymes for platitude →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of platitude?
"platitude" (noun) means a remark that sounds wise but has been repeated so often it no longer means much.
What is another word for platitude?
Other words for "platitude" include cliche, commonplace, banality, bromide.
What are the different meanings of platitude?
"platitude" has 3 main meanings: 1. A remark that sounds wise but has been repeated so often it no longer means much; 2. A statement that is obviously true and therefore not worth making; 3. A lack of change or excitement; dullness.
