groaner

noun

ˈgrō-nər How to pronounce groaner (audio)
Definition of groanernext
as in cliché
an idea or expression that has been used by many people the play's dialogue featured all of the groaners that seem to be de rigueur for any dysfunctional-family drama

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of groaner Those pacing blips aren’t the only groaners. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026 Che laughs about four groaners in a row, looking around sheepishly. — Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2024 The only possible groaner, a joke about school shootings, clearly worked with the improv audience but, Wood reasoned, needed to come later in Saturday’s set, once the audience had grown to trust him a bit. — Wesley Lowery, Washington Post, 1 May 2023 Evidently the authors — and the director, Jack O’Brien — meant to glue the show together with groaners, a gutsy if not entirely successful move. — Jesse Green, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2023 Scott performs on the track like a bizarro Young Thug, incapable of wringing any enthusiasm out of his voice, and delivers some egregious groaner punchlines, while Drake continues to burrow into narcissism. — Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groaner
  1. trope
  2. truism
  3. platitude
  4. commonplace
  5. saying
  6. banality
Noun
  • Enemies may often become allies — one of my favorite narrative tropes.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The trope of the outlaw as a man of honor can be found across the world, of course, but the Japanese version is particularly given to nostalgia.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of trope
Noun
  • With all the hype surrounding potential uses of AI tools, this is a truism that too often gets forgotten.
    — Bryan Mistele, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Wars cannot be fought on ideology alone – a truism that perhaps led to the firebrand former defense minister’s departure, after months of clashes and refusing to deal with the army top brass, as Zelensky describes it.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of truism
Noun
  • Hughes offered the usual interview platitudes and seemed to be pleased with how his team was playing.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But the platitudes offered by Sakic for Bednar and Bednar for Sakic ignore the Avs’ 20-18 playoff record since winning the cup.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of platitude
Noun
  • Wolff was only the eighth woman to drive a Formula 1 car (four more have done it since); the role, a now-commonplace one that includes driving the simulator during Grand Prix weekends to inform trackside strategy, was created for her.
    — Danielle McNally, InStyle, 28 May 2026
  • The videos are often integrated into larger montages of drone strikes, underscoring how commonplace these drones have become for Russian forces.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Definition of commonplace
Noun
  • As the saying goes, hurt people hurt people, and Pam hurts a whole lot of people.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Carnegie Hall seats well over 3,000 people, but this intense, no-frills performance film gives life to the old saying about feeling alone in a crowd.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of saying
Noun
  • The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The sentences, packed with jargon, beat me down with their elaborate banality.
    — Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of banality

Browse Nearby Words

groaned
groaner
groaners
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Cite this Entry

“Groaner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groaner. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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