as in cliche
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
a screenplay that reads like a catalog of mystery-thriller tropes the narrative trope of two rival characters falling in love by the end of the story
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Recent Examples of trope
Use of the harmful trope somewhat declined as the hard-working immigrants positively contributed to their communities and excelled in their careers by starting small businesses throughout the area.
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Polo Sandoval, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025
Black Mirror evokes anthology series like The Twilight Zone and Amazing Stories with speculative, offbeat tales that draw upon sci-fi, thriller, and horror tropes to satirize culture and interrogate moral and ethical quandaries.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Rahmani’s novel turns out to be less predictable than some of the above tropes might indicate.
—Porochista Khakpour, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2025
The anime auteur responsible for Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo has been rewriting the rules of anime music since the ’90s, subverting tropes, reimagining genres, and weaving together disparate signifiers from the past and future to tell deeply affecting stories that speak to our present.
—Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trope
Polo Sandoval, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025
Black Mirror evokes anthology series like The Twilight Zone and Amazing Stories with speculative, offbeat tales that draw upon sci-fi, thriller, and horror tropes to satirize culture and interrogate moral and ethical quandaries.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Rahmani’s novel turns out to be less predictable than some of the above tropes might indicate.
—Porochista Khakpour, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2025
The anime auteur responsible for Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo has been rewriting the rules of anime music since the ’90s, subverting tropes, reimagining genres, and weaving together disparate signifiers from the past and future to tell deeply affecting stories that speak to our present.
—Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trope
Cite this Entry
“Trope.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trope. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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