commonplace

Meaning

Adj

Ordinary; not having any remarkable characteristics.

Noun

1. A platitude or cliché.
2. Something that is ordinary; something commonly done or occurring.
3. A memorandum; something to be frequently consulted or referred to.
4. A commonplace book.

Verb

1. To make a commonplace book.
2. To enter in a commonplace book, or to reduce to general heads.
3. (obsolete) To utter commonplaces; to indulge in platitudes.

Opposite of

distinguished, inimitable, unique

Synonyms

ordinary

trite

common

banal

platitude

usual

hackneyed

trivial

banality

mediocre

everyday

prosaic

well-worn

threadbare

shopworn

bromide

general

average

cliche

timeworn

dismal

humdrum

platitudinous

truism

tired

😫

routine

old-hat

stock

cliché

vapid

bland

unglamourous

vulgar

unremarkable

dull

unglamorous

workaday

mundane

stereotype

normal

quotidian

regular

conventional

hack

habitual

communal

frequent

formula

fixed

common practice

Translations

banal

luogo comune

banale

lieu commun

cliché

lugar común

ordinario

banal

ordinaire

Gemeinplatz

trivial

banal

banalité

platitude

trito

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkɑmənˌpleɪs/

Etymology

A calque of Latin locus commūnis, referring to a generally applicable literary passage, itself a calque of Ancient Greek κοινὸς τόπος (koinòs tópos).