banal

[ buh-nal, -nahl, beyn-l ]

adjective

1. devoid of freshness or originality; hackneyed; trite:

   a banal and sophomoric treatment of courage on the frontier.

banal

/ bəˈnælɪtɪ; bəˈnɑːl /

adjective

1. lacking force or originality; trite; commonplace

Derived Forms

• banality, noun
• baˈnally, adverb

Other Words From

• ba·nal·i·ty [b, uh, -, nal, -i-tee, bey-], noun
• ba·nally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of banal¹

First recorded in 1745–55; from French, Old French: “pertaining to a ban”; equivalent to ban ² + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of banal¹

C18: from Old French: relating to compulsory feudal service, hence common to all, commonplace; from ban ban ²

Synonym Study

See commonplace.

Related Words

• bland
• corny
• dumb
• hackneyed
• mundane
• stupid
• trite
• vapid