garden-variety

[ gahr-dn-vuh-rahy-i-tee ]

adjective

1. common, usual, or ordinary; unexceptional.

Word History and Origins

Origin of garden-variety¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Idioms and Phrases

Ordinary, common, as in I don't want anything special in a VCR—the garden variety will do . This term alludes to a common plant as opposed to a specially bred hybrid. [ Colloquial ; 1920]

Example Sentences

That might only be garden variety hypocrisy were it not for the fact that you actually could make a difference.

From The Daily Beast

Others suffer a nasty twist of fate that balloons their garden-variety misbehavior into a superscandal.

From The Daily Beast

He loves the retail aspects of politics and relates well to garden-variety voters.

From The Daily Beast

Kerry, like so many of his Senate brethren, is your garden-variety bore.

From The Daily Beast

Forget your garden-variety tale of congressmen frequenting working girls.

From The Daily Beast

I do not mean to imply that stories of the stork and cabbage-garden variety are to be altogether excluded.

From Project Gutenberg

I am that garden variety, and it took the exercising of many heart interests to toughen my cardiac organ.

From Project Gutenberg

It was plain the kitten had never known anything of home or a fireside and was simply of the humble garden variety of cat.

From Project Gutenberg

Such points gave him an air of distinction, and marked him out as quite different from the common or garden variety of cats.

From Project Gutenberg

It somewhat resembles the Yellow Malta, and is a good garden variety.

From Project Gutenberg