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

Other Word Forms

• commonplacely adverb
• commonplaceness noun
• uncommonplace 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

This simple at-home treatment is as commonplace as an apple a day.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

For an in-person conversation, this response violates social convention, but for an online interaction, it is commonplace.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

But though the hell of unemployment is universal, Park’s violent vision understands that it’s also eternal — in this case, so commonplace it could be its own anti-workplace comedy.

Read more on Salon

Women's football crowds in the tens of thousands are now almost commonplace, but that didn't happen overnight.

Read more on BBC

That might seem commonplace now, but it was a Eureka moment for Goodall: Like humans, chimpanzees not only use tools but actually make them.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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