commonplace

American  

[kom-uhn-pleys] / ˈkɒm ənˌpleɪs /

adjective

1. ordinary; undistinguished or uninteresting; without individuality.

   a commonplace person.

2. trite; hackneyed; platitudinous.

   a commonplace remark.

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noun

commonplaces plural

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 British  

/ ˈkɒmənˌpleɪs /

adjective

1. ordinary; everyday

   commonplace duties

2. dull and obvious; trite

   commonplace prose

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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

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• commonplaceness
  noun
• uncommonplace
  adjective
• commonplacely
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• commonplaces
  plural

Etymology

Origin of commonplace

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

Explanation

Something commonplace is ordinary. It can also be something dull and unchallenging or tired and clichéd. Coffee shops in cities are commonplace, so are berets in Paris. You see them all over the place. Things that are common can be found all over the place — they're commonplace! The word is a literal translation of the Latin locus communis for "general topic." Commonplace things and behavior are ordinary. For example, a commonplace job is a boring, mind-numbing task. It’s humdrum and unglamorous. A commonplace word or saying is a cliché — it's so common that it becomes meaningless and annoying.

Example Sentences

The sight of USA fans in colourful jerseys is commonplace throughout the host cities, and just about every restaurant with a TV has patrons transfixed on the latest drama.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

As a result, pay packages have stretched into the hundreds of millions, and big-money acquisitions of smaller rivals have become commonplace.

From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026

“Demand is on the rise for the first time since air conditioning became commonplace, so transmission is important to be able to solve for that.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026

It is commonplace for someone here, and that includes all the determined immigrants who have joined us from around the world, to say, “I have an idea, wonder if I can make it fly.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

In the past thirty years, since screens became commonplace, the number of women in the top U.S. orchestras has increased fivefold.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

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