common sense

SEE SYNONYMS FOR common sense ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like; normal native intelligence.

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Origin of common sense

1525–35; translation of Latin sēnsus commūnis, itself translation of Greek koinḕ aísthēsis

OTHER WORDS FROM common sense

common-sense, com·mon·sense, adjectivecom·mon·sen·si·cal, com·mon·sen·si·ble, adjectivecom·mon·sen·si·cal·ly, com·mon·sen·si·bly, adverb

Words nearby common sense

common salt, common school, common scold, common seal, common sennit, common sense, common-sense realism, common situs picketing, common stock, common sulfur, common time
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to common sense

practicality, wit, intelligence, sense, prudence, wisdom, acumen, rationality, logic, cool, experience, gumption, horse sense, reason, soundness, mother wit, levelheadedness, reasonableness, sensibleness, wits

Example sentences from the Web for common sense

British Dictionary definitions for common sense

common sense

noun

plain ordinary good judgment; sound practical sense

adjective common-sense, common-sensical

inspired by or displaying sound practical sense
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for common sense

Common Sense

(1776) A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that called for the United States to declare independence from Britain immediately. Written in a brisk and pungent style, Common Sense had a tremendous impact and helped to persuade many Americans that they could successfully wage a war for their independence.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.