commonality

[ kom-uh-nal-i-tee ]

noun

, plural com·mon·al·i·ties.

1. a sharing of features or characteristics in common; possession or manifestation of common attributes.
2. a feature or characteristic held in common:

   Historians perceive commonalities of behavior in many eras.

3. commonalty ( def 1 ).

commonality

/ ˌkɒməˈnælɪtɪ /

noun

1. the fact of being common to more than one individual; commonness
2. another word for commonalty

Word History and Origins

Origin of commonality¹

1350–1400; Middle English; partial Latinization of commonalty, on basis of presumed Latin *commūnālitās ( -ity )

Example Sentences

Researchers found there were commonalities among people who wouldn't alter their cannabis consumption.

From Science Daily

He spoke a big game about wanting Americans to take "down the heat a little bit" and focus on our commonalities instead of differences.

From Salon

The concept of “social death” comes from Harvard sociologist Orlando Patterson, who developed the term some 40 years ago when analyzing commonalities among various slave societies around the world.

From Salon

Added Delfin: “Everybody tries to keep everything separate, but there are really so many commonalities.”

From Los Angeles Times

Five episodes into the season, full episodes have been devoted to each character’s story – more than enough to get a sense of how varied these women are along with their commonalities.

From Salon