banal

[ buh-nal, -nahl, beyn-l ]

adjective

1. devoid of freshness or originality; hackneyed; trite:

   a banal and sophomoric treatment of courage on the frontier.

banal

/ bəˈnælɪtɪ; bəˈnɑːl /

adjective

1. lacking force or originality; trite; commonplace

Derived Forms

• banality, noun
• baˈnally, adverb

Other Words From

• ba·nal·i·ty [b, uh, -, nal, -i-tee, bey-], noun
• ba·nally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of banal¹

First recorded in 1745–55; from French, Old French: “pertaining to a ban”; equivalent to ban ² + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of banal¹

C18: from Old French: relating to compulsory feudal service, hence common to all, commonplace; from ban ban ²

Synonym Study

See commonplace.

Example Sentences

Worst of all, she habitually dodged questions, offering banal, scripted, unmemorable answers that reinforced the impression that she was weak and lacked the courage of her convictions.

From Salon

Despite his belief that what he’s imparting is radical or insightful, his claims are banal, his methods rudimentary, even the revelations about his intentions all too predictable.

From Los Angeles Times

Granted, “Out of Time’s” earworm “Shiny Happy People” is gratingly banal, but the album also features spoken-word passages, brooding bass lines and ghostly steel-guitar drone.

From Los Angeles Times

Maybe it’s the lie that they didn’t mean for you to uncover, told under the premise of protecting you from some painful truth, but deep down executed with the utterly banal intention of self-preservation.

From Los Angeles Times

Not at all, said the UK's Independent Newspaper, this record is "suffocatingly banal" and filled with "groan-inducing" lyrics.

From BBC

Related Words

• bland
• corny
• dumb
• hackneyed
• mundane
• stupid
• trite
• vapid