Trite
//tɹaɪt// adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A denomination of coinage in ancient Greece equivalent to one third of a stater.
- 2 In Ancient Greek musical theory, the lower-pitched of the two movable notes in the farther tetrachord on a lyre, pitched lower than the paranete and higher than the paramese.
Adjective
- 1 Often in reference to a word or phrase: used so many times that it is commonplace, or no longer interesting or effective; worn out, hackneyed.
"It is a trite saying in a young country that anyone starting out in life with the determination to become wealthy will have his wish gratified."
- 2 So well established as to be beyond debate: trite law.
"It is trite to say that the mere fact that a decision does not favour the applicant or that the applicant disagrees with the decision does not establish that the decision is tainted with bias."
Adjective
- 1 repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"The "twin tiger cubs get separated ..." story felt a bit trite."
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Latin trītus (“worn out”), perfect passive participle of terō (“I wear away, wear out”).
Etymology 2
Unadapted borrowing from Latin tritē, from Ancient Greek τρίτη (trítē, literally “third [string]”).
Related phrases
More for "trite"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.