Clichés to Avoid in Writing

What is a Cliché?

A cliché is a word or phrase that has been overused in writing.

Clichés such as "leave no stone unturned" have been used so much in writing that they have lost all their effectiveness. These phrases have become weak and meaningless. They usually contribute nothing to the message you are trying to convey and will be viewed, by the reader, simply as padding.

Text full of clichés makes the writer appear lazy and uncreative and will, for many readers, kill the significance of the writing.

If you want your writing to be fresh and interesting, you should avoid using clichés. Try rephrasing your text to make it more concise and original. Ask somebody else to proof-read your work to help ensure that you are not using clichés or other unnecessary padding words and phrases.

Clichés (properly spelled clichés, with the acute accent) are words and phrases, once interesting, which have lost their original effect from overuse. They are considered trite and should be avoided in writing unless used purposely for effect.

We all use them without thinking, sometimes because they fit the bill or are just the ticket (both clichés), but usually because they're metaphors, idiom, or truisms that have become so common we no longer notice them.

If we write better late than never or speak of someone being down in the dumps, we likely won't register that we just used a cliché. Sometimes the writing is filled with shortcuts as we aim to make ourselves understood.

Editors may reject creative writing on the basis of too many clichés alone. Reviewers will point them out unless it's obvious that the writer used them for comic effect, such as to define an overly earnest or boring character.

Example Clichés to Avoid

The following list is by no means comprehensive but does highlight some common clichés. Clichés are often different in different cultures and in different environments.

You may well be able to think of other examples of clichés and/or people who overuse them both in writing and also in verbal communication.

• In a nutshell.
• At long last.
• Going forward.
• All walks of life.
• At the end of the day.
• Bring to the table.
• I'm giving it 110%.
• Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
• As bold as brass.
• Uphill battle.
• If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
• Too little, too late.
• Sleeping like the dead.
• Actions speak louder than words.
• Two wrongs don't make a right.
• Never say never.
• Laughter is the best medicine.
• People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Remember; it's not rocket science - avoid clichés like the plague in your writing.

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