banality

[ buh-nal-i-tee, bey- ]

noun

, plural ba·nal·i·ties.

1. the condition or quality of being banal, or devoid of freshness or originality:

   the banality of everyday life.

2. an instance of this:

   We sat around the dinner table exchanging banalities.

Word History and Origins

Origin of banality¹

First recorded in 1815–25; from French banalité, equivalent to banal ( def ) + -ity ( def )

Example Sentences

Despite their separation, this slight, softly-spoken woman has frequently attended the trial and said it had exposed the “banality” of abuse.

From BBC

In Jeremy Saulnier’s “Rebel Ridge,” a “Rambo”-inspired riff on racial profiling and the insidious banality of evil baked into American policing, the filmmaker demonstrates his mastery of the taut action thriller.

From Los Angeles Times

He stretched language and banality to operatic extremes, exalting discarded bits of life as if they were cosmic, in stylized declamation that is every bit as musical as Mozart.

From New York Times

The oral histories chronicle Mr. Obama’s journey from an uninformed candidate embarrassed by the banalities he found himself spouting on the campaign trail to a besieged president gambling his political future on all-or-nothing legislative brinkmanship.

From New York Times

His first full play, goadingly titled The Pope's Wedding, opened in 1962 and explored the banality of rural life and growing isolation.

From BBC

Related Words

• platitude