conventional wisdom

noun

1. something that is generally believed; prudence.

Word History and Origins

Origin of conventional wisdom¹

Probably earlier than 1965–70

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

The conventional wisdom is that artificial intelligence will level the playing field among employees, giving the average employees the tools to shine as brightly as the superstars.

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OK, but the conventional wisdom among many in Silicon Valley is that AI-powered chatbots and assistants will replace the need for search.

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Economists and other experts have long repeated the conventional wisdom that the stock market isn’t the economy, meaning that temporary pullbacks on Wall Street don’t always ripple as far as the average American’s pocketbook.

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It became the conventional wisdom of the U.S. liberal establishment that Israelis and Palestinians were dying for no reason other than to keep “Bibi” in power.

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Even a few weeks ago, the conventional wisdom was that the war was no longer accomplishing much, least of all the recent Gaza City offensive.

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