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

Yet abuse and exploitation in the fields are commonplace, according to the mother, who said that workers are mistreated because employers know they won’t be caught.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

With the rapid expansion of industry, volume hiring was commonplace.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As she performed her calculations, the twins beat each other and yowled like hyenas, a sound so commonplace it hardly disturbed her concentration.

Read more on Literature

“I ought not to make too much of it, for pickpockets and rogues are a commonplace in London. We must stay on our toes, that is all.”

Read more on Literature

She said efforts like this are commonplace in the neighborhood.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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