communal

[kuh-myoon-l, kom-yuh-nl]

adjective

1. used or shared in common by everyone in a group.

   a communal jug of wine.

2. of, by, or belonging to the people of a community; shared or participated in by the public.

   communal land; Building the playground was a communal project.

   Synonyms: collective, common, public

3. pertaining to a commune or a community.

   communal life.

4. engaged in by or involving two or more communities.

   communal conflict.

communal

/ ˌkɒmjʊˈnælɪtɪ, ˈkɒmjʊnəl /

adjective

1. belonging or relating to a community as a whole

2. relating to different groups within a society

   communal strife

3. of or relating to a commune or a religious community

Other Word Forms

• communally adverb
• intercommunal adjective
• noncommunal adjective
• noncommunally adverb
• uncommunal adjective
• communality noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of communal¹

First recorded in 1805–15; from French, from Latin commūnālis, equivalent to commūn(e) “community, state” + -ālis adjective suffix; commune ², -al ¹

Example Sentences

But it wakes us up to the need for those solutions, and it turns our private drudgery into communal solidarity and gives us back the only commodity that ever really mattered: our time.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Skyline Pitch follows a trend of athletic clubs moving into shopping centers as retail leaders try to tap into customers’ desire for communal experiences and new activities.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Loretta Alvarez, 26, said the communal bins - shared with about 25 other properties - were full, so she placed the cardboard envelope on top of cardboard next to the bins.

Read more on BBC

“Now that my kids are grown, I wanted everything here to be communal, and this is perfect.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

If Grizzly Bear’s early years were about convergence — four young men building a sound that felt both communal and claustrophobic, this chapter is about calibration: finding equilibrium after a long season apart.

Read more on Los Angeles Times