communal

[ kuh-myoon-l, kom-yuh-nl ]

adjective

1. used or shared in common by everyone in a group:

   a communal jug of wine.

2. of, by, or belonging to the people of a community; shared or participated in by the public:

   communal land; Building the playground was a communal project.

   Synonyms: collective, common, public

3. pertaining to a commune or a community:

   communal life.

4. engaged in by or involving two or more communities:

   communal conflict.

communal

/ ˌkɒmjʊˈnælɪtɪ; ˈkɒmjʊnəl /

adjective

1. belonging or relating to a community as a whole
2. relating to different groups within a society

   communal strife

3. of or relating to a commune or a religious community

Derived Forms

• ˈcommunally, adverb
• communality, noun

Other Words From

• com·munal·ly adverb
• inter·com·munal adjective
• noncom·munal adjective
• noncom·munal·ly adverb
• uncom·munal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of communal¹

First recorded in 1805–15; from French, from Latin commūnālis, equivalent to commūn(e) “community, state” + -ālis adjective suffix; commune ², -al ¹

Example Sentences

He would also shower naked with them in the communal showers and the boys were ordered not to wear underpants in bed.

From BBC

But memes and internet chatter are inherently organic and communal, which makes it much more egregious when they try this approach.

From Slate

There are screen-based offerings as well, but the emphasis is often on the communal, as evidenced by the anyone-can-be-an-artist zaniness that is “Sloppy Forgeries.”

From Los Angeles Times

But that’s just one example of how the right wing, which will now occupy a favored perch in the White House, has elevated an amorphous concept of individual freedom over the undeniably real benefits, to millions of people, of robust pubic health imperatives based on communal responsibility.

From Los Angeles Times

Although I had multiple conversations with communal leaders explaining why this was so painful for the Jewish community, a twentysomething member of my community told me, “After the murder of George Floyd, we were told to read in order to understand why this was so painful for African Americans and not ask them to explain it to us. Why is the same not true for us?”

From Slate