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Synonyms

commonality

American  
[kom-uh-nal-i-tee] / ˌkɒm əˈnæl ɪ ti /

noun

  • commonalities
    plural
  1. a sharing of features or characteristics in common; possession or manifestation of common attributes.

  2. a feature or characteristic held in common.

    Historians perceive commonalities of behavior in many eras.

  3. commonalty.


commonality British  
/ ˌkɒməˈnælɪtɪ /

noun

  1. the fact of being common to more than one individual; commonness

  2. another word for commonalty

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of commonality

1350–1400; Middle English; partial Latinization of commonalty, on basis of presumed Latin *commūnālitās ( see -ity)

Vocabulary lists containing commonality

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.

See Examples For:

Look through this administration’s bios, and you’ll find striking commonality.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 4, 2026

"With aging, problems mysteriously emerge at many levels -- at the mechanistic, cellular, and organ level -- but one commonality is that all those processes are mediated by proteins," Frydman said.

From Science Daily May 29, 2026

That commonality, and the seemingly insatiable demand for electrons from those power-hungry AI data centers, is creating some surprising opportunities for companies.

From Barron's Dec. 11, 2025

The commonality between the 2021 and 2025 Breeders’ Cup days was that both were run at Del Mar.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 1, 2025

He was the only other Black person on the entire squad, and we immediately bonded over that commonality.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Although the women of “The Pitt” would never compare acting to saving lives, Briones believes that the experiences of women — especially from marginalized communities — share commonalities across many male-dominated industries.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 3, 2026

LiquidPiston calls its engine an “inside-out Wankel” to acknowledge the commonalities.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 24, 2026

Those commonalities help ensure there’s agreement between the two and Ellison, Magouyrk said.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 20, 2025

Different places, similar forces These incidents span vastly different settings—a tourist hotspot, a public health campus, a military base, city neighborhoods, a music event, and a rural bar—yet they share troubling commonalities:

From Salon Aug. 10, 2025

The approach is to step back and ask questions to find commonalities in both cultures from which to work.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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