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

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

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

Thus, the dollar’s decline isn’t run-of-the-mill market noise, but the natural result of the U.S. giving priority to the dollar’s domestic role over its global one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 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

Probably, this is because “the movement” is not a coordinated front between run-of-the-mill Musk opponents and financial professionals who would like to make some money off them while also maybe fighting Musk for sincere reasons.

From Slate • Apr. 22, 2025

The town we all live in is pretty run-of-the-mill.

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

Related Words

• middling
• undistinguished