commonplace
[ kom-uhn-pleys ]
/ ˈkɒm ənˌpleɪs /
adjective
ordinary; undistinguished or uninteresting; without individuality: a commonplace person.
trite; hackneyed; platitudinous: a commonplace remark.
noun
a well-known, customary, or obvious remark; a trite or uninteresting saying.
anything common, ordinary, or uninteresting.
Archaic.
a place or passage in a book or writing noted as important for reference or quotation.
Origin of commonplace
1525–35; translation of Latin
locus commūnis, itself translation of Greek
koinòs tópos
SYNONYMS FOR commonplace
synonym study for commonplace
2.
Commonplace,
banal,
hackneyed,
stereotyped,
trite describe words, remarks, and styles of expression that are lifeless and uninteresting.
Commonplace characterizes thought that is dull, ordinary, and platitudinous:
commonplace and boring. Something is
banal that seems inane, insipid, and pointless:
a heavy-handed and banal affirmation of the obvious.
Hackneyed characterizes something that seems stale and worn out through overuse:
a hackneyed comparison.
Stereotyped emphasizes the fact that situations felt to be similar invariably call for the same thought in exactly the same form and the same words:
so stereotyped as to seem automatic.
Trite describes something that was originally striking and apt, but which has become so well-known and been so commonly used that all interest has been worn out of it:
true but trite.
OTHER WORDS FROM commonplace
com·mon·place·ly, adverb com·mon·place·ness, noun un·com·mon·place, adjectiveWords nearby commonplace
commonality,
commonalty,
commoner,
commonhold,
commonly,
commonplace,
commonplace book,
commons,
commonweal,
commonwealth,
commonwealth day
Example sentences from the Web for commonplace
British Dictionary definitions for commonplace
commonplace
/ (ˈkɒmənˌpleɪs) /
adjective
ordinary; everyday
commonplace duties
dull and obvious; trite
commonplace prose
noun
something dull and trite, esp a remark; platitude; truism
a passage in a book marked for inclusion in a commonplace book, etc
an ordinary or common thing
Derived forms of commonplace
commonplaceness, nounWord Origin for commonplace
C16: translation of Latin
locus commūnis argument of wide application, translation of Greek
koinos topos