banality
Americannoun
plural
banalities-
the condition or quality of being banal, or devoid of freshness or originality.
the banality of everyday life.
-
an instance of this.
We sat around the dinner table exchanging banalities.
Etymology
Origin of banality
First recorded in 1815–25; from French banalité, equivalent to banal ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And hence misfired plays like this one, in which collaboration among gifted artists results only in a work of logorrheic banality.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
The cinematography, by Jarred Alterman, is quite handsome and composed, amplifying the seriousness and eeriness, but also the banality and absurdity of the matter.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025
The banality of her letter to Putin was itself a choice — and was completely on brand, for Melania Trump has always been just as opaque as her prose suggests.
From Salon • Aug. 19, 2025
Like the social media that’s potentially inspired it, male cosmetic procedures are accessible, acceptable, and possibly moving toward banality.
From Slate • Sep. 21, 2024
They invented stupid TV shows, unleashing a cavalcade of ever-increasing banality as they tried to out-stupid each other.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
