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What is the Difference Between cliché and stereotype?
The words cliché and stereotype have a good deal in common. Both come from French, both were originally printers’ terms, and both have come to take on somewhat negative meanings in modern use.
Their original meanings are essentially synonymous, referring to printing blocks from which numerous prints could be made. In fact, cliché means stereotype in French. Their modern meanings, however, are quite distinct. Cliché is today overwhelmingly encountered in reference to something hackneyed, such as an overly familiar or commonplace phrase, theme, or expression. Stereotype is most frequently now employed to refer to an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic.
Examples of cliché in a Sentence
William F. Buckley, Jr., National Review, 1 May 2000
FILM "I Like It Like That": It has every cliché of the 'hood genre, elevated by a strong woman protagonist and a few comic moments.
—Bell Hooks, Ms., September/October 1994
I'd never been out with a model before, so I hadn't even bargained on the cliché of the rock star and the model as being part of my life.
—David Bowie, quoted in Rolling Stone, 10 June 1993
Time has been the best healer for the pain of loss, just as the old cliché says, but letting go is still difficult.
—Lynn McAndrews, My Father Forgets, 1990
… don't seek the ultimate, general solution; find a corner that can be defined precisely and, as our new cliché proclaims, go for it.
—Stephen Jay Gould, Natural History, July 1987
a speech filled with clichés about “finding your way” and “keeping the faith”
The macho cop of Hollywood movies has become a cliché.
Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
However, and forgive the cliche, but GenAI tools are evolving so fast that what got your organization here won’t get it there.
—Clint Boulton, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
Although spring training is the time for even the most downtrodden of teams to speak optimistically, the way that the Angels talk about Fasano goes beyond the normal cliches.
—Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2025
Because of that opposite cliche: Spring evaluations are really hard.
—Tim Britton, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
Some criticize the use of tropes as leaning on cliches or lacking originality, but tropes are as old as storytelling itself.
—Denise Williams, People.com, 15 Feb. 2025
However, the billionaire’s use of spending cliches to justify the approach was tough to argue with.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
Normally, that’s one of the most overused cliches in sports.
—Jeremy Rutherford, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
Either way, Flagg's status will be a major storyline until at least Friday, when Duke first takes the floor in the Big Dance.
07:31 PM EDT
Breaking Down the Biggest NCAA Bracket Seeding Mistakes
As the cliche says, everybody makes mistakes from time to time.
—Joe Kozlowski, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cliché.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clich%C3%A9. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cliché
noun
French, literally, "metal printing plate"
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