conventional wisdom

American  

noun

1. something that is generally believed; prudence.

---

conventional wisdom Idioms  

1. A widely held belief on which most people act. For example, According to conventional wisdom, an incumbent nearly always wins more votes than a new candidate. This term was invented by John Kenneth Galbraith, who used it in The Affluent Society (1958) to describe economic ideas that are familiar, predictable, and therefore accepted by the general public. Today it is used in any context where public opinion has considerable influence on the course of events.

---

Etymology

Origin of conventional wisdom

Probably earlier than 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conventional wisdom

Notably, Karp adds, the results were achieved “with a miniscule and shrinking sales headcount, another way in which we have discarded conventional wisdom in favor of our own, unique path.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

In the end, Nick and Charlie decide to give their relationship another shot, confident that their love can defy the conventional wisdom that teen romances rarely last.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

And if the conventional wisdom about a candidate is a lot friendlier on that platform than on a competitor’s, I’d spend some extra time interrogating why that might be happening.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

And while conventional wisdom says you should always cook what you know when hosting, I think that’s baloney.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

Roman, thirty-two, inquisitive and outspoken, has a doctorate in biology from Stanford and an abiding distrust of conventional wisdom.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer