run-of-the-mill

American  

[ruhn-uhv-thuh-mil] / ˈrʌn əv ðəˈmɪl /

adjective

1. merely average; commonplace; mediocre.

   just a plain, run-of-the-mill house; a run-of-the-mill performance.

   Synonyms:

   everyday, routine, ordinary

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run-of-the-mill British  

adjective

1. ordinary, average, or undistinguished in quality, character, or nature; not special or excellent

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run of the mill Cultural  

1. Common, ordinary, average: “His performance in the game was neither exemplary nor disastrous; it was simply run of the mill.”

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run of the mill Idioms  

1. Ordinary, average, as in There's nothing special about these singers—they're just run of the mill. This expression alludes to fabrics coming directly from a mill without having been sorted or inspected for quality. It has survived such similar phrases as run of the mine and run of the kiln, for the products of mines and kilns. [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of run-of-the-mill

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

During my first watch, I thought this would be a run-of-the-mill, substandard thriller: Establish the characters, ramp up the obsession, throw a little violence in.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

But USC isn’t a run-of-the-mill ninth seed, either.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

"When choosing to operate her fiscal rules with such teeny tiny headroom, Ms Reeves would have known that run-of-the-mill forecast changes could easily blow her off course," Ms Miller added.

From BBC • Oct. 15, 2025

He had been, as Mr. Maisel characterizes the undergraduate Leahy, “the epitome of a run-of-the-mill football player,” but that was the last time he was anything but the driving force behind every group he joined.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

Normal run-of-the-mill people like me—except for a few discreet tics, sure, who doesn’t have something?—are the exception.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

Related Words

• middling
• undistinguished