commonplace

[ kom-uhn-pleys ]

adjective

1. ordinary; undistinguished or uninteresting; without individuality:

   a commonplace person.

2. trite; hackneyed; platitudinous:

   a commonplace remark.

noun

1. a well-known, customary, or obvious remark; a trite or uninteresting saying.

   Synonyms: stereotype, platitude, bromide, cliché

2. anything common, ordinary, or uninteresting.
3. Archaic. a place or passage in a book or writing noted as important for reference or quotation.

commonplace

/ ˈkɒmənˌpleɪs /

adjective

1. ordinary; everyday

   commonplace duties

2. dull and obvious; trite

   commonplace prose

noun

1. something dull and trite, esp a remark; platitude; truism
2. a passage in a book marked for inclusion in a commonplace book, etc
3. an ordinary or common thing

Derived Forms

• ˈcommonˌplaceness, noun

Other Words From

• common·placely adverb
• common·placeness noun
• un·common·place adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of commonplace¹

1525–35; translation of Latin locus commūnis, itself translation of Greek koinòs tópos

Word History and Origins

Origin of commonplace¹

C16: translation of Latin locus commūnis argument of wide application, translation of Greek koinos topos

Synonym Study

Commonplace, banal, hackneyed, stereotyped, trite describe words, remarks, and styles of expression that are lifeless and uninteresting. Commonplace characterizes thought that is dull, ordinary, and platitudinous: commonplace and boring. Something is banal that seems inane, insipid, and pointless: a heavy-handed and banal affirmation of the obvious. Hackneyed characterizes something that seems stale and worn out through overuse: a hackneyed comparison. Stereotyped emphasizes the fact that situations felt to be similar invariably call for the same thought in exactly the same form and the same words: so stereotyped as to seem automatic. Trite describes something that was originally striking and apt, but which has become so well-known and been so commonly used that all interest has been worn out of it: true but trite.

Example Sentences

The practice had become commonplace: in 2022, authorities in five states bulldozed 128 structures in just three months "as punishment", a report by Amnesty international shows.

From BBC

I want to know what makes it special despite it now being so commonplace.

From Los Angeles Times

The use of intimacy coordinators has generated significant media attention and become increasingly commonplace in the film and TV business over the past several years.

From Los Angeles Times

Let’s state the obvious, again: Donald Trump is not fit for office, and not because he uses language that’s now commonplace in Disney films.

From Los Angeles Times

With us, we just throw it in the world as if it's commonplace because it is commonplace.

From Salon

Related Words

• customary
• mundane
• normal
• obvious
• prevalent
• typical