platitude

[plat-i-tood, -tyood] /ˈplæt ɪˌtud, -ˌtyud/
noun
1.
a flat, dull, or trite remark, especially one uttered as if it were fresh or profound.
2.
the quality or state of being flat, dull, or trite:
the platitude of most political oratory.
Origin
1805-15; < French: literally, flatness, equivalent to plat flat (see plate1) + -itude, as in French latitude, altitude, magnitude, etc.
Can be confused
platitude, plaudit.
Synonyms
1. cliché, truism.
Examples from the web for platitude
  • Mostly, these questionnaires are platitude- and cliché-ridden.
  • Soon, at least in some cases, that old courtroom platitude may itself come to resemble the truth more closely.
  • Unfortunately, however, the platitude represents truth.
  • Each person bids her farewell with a platitude.
  • These were platitudes dressed up as epiphanies to suit the populist mood.
  • The college coach offered one last, up-to-the-minute platitude.
  • It's a platitude that opera singers can't act.
  • Satisfying customers is not just another platitude.
  • Why must you throw in that trite platitude about the rich paying "their fair share".
British Dictionary definitions for platitude

platitude

/ˈplætɪˌtjuːd/
noun
1.
a trite, dull, or obvious remark or statement; a commonplace
2.
staleness or insipidity of thought or language; triteness
Derived Forms
platitudinous, adjective
Word Origin
C19: from French, literally: flatness, from plat flat
Word Origin and History for platitude
n.

1812, "dullness," from French platitude "flatness, vapidness" (late 17c.), from Old French plat "flat" (see plateau (n.)); formed on analogy of latitude, etc. Meaning "a flat, dull, or commonplace remark" is recorded from 1815. Related: Platitudinous. Hence platitudinarian (n.), 1855; platitudinize (1867).