banal

adjective

ba·​nal bə-ˈnal How to pronounce banal (audio)
ba-,
-ˈnäl How to pronounce banal (audio)
bā-ˈnal;
ˈbā-nᵊl How to pronounce banal (audio)
: lacking originality, freshness, or novelty : trite
banalize
bə-ˈna-ˌlīz How to pronounce banal (audio)
ba-
-ˈnä-;
bā-ˈna-;
ˈbā-nᵊl-ˌīz
transitive verb
banally
bə-ˈnal-lē How to pronounce banal (audio)
ba-
-ˈnäl-;
bā-ˈnal-;
ˈbā-nᵊl-(l)ē
adverb

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How do you pronounce banal?

There are several pronunciations of banal, but the three most common are \BAY-nul\, \buh-NAHL\, and \buh-NAL\ (which rhymes with canal). The earliest pronunciation given in our dictionaries is the now-unused \BAN-ul\ (rhymes with “flannel); it is attested to in our dictionaries back to the 1800s, but has dropped out of use. \BAY-nul\ is the next oldest pronunciation. The more recent \buh-NAL\ and \buh-NAHL\ came about through French influence, since banal was borrowed into English from French, and those two pronunciations are closer to the French pronunciation of banal. All three pronunciations are acceptable in educated speech; \buh-NAL\ is currently the most common, followed by \BAY-nul\ and then \buh-NAHL. There is no reason to condemn any of them as incorrect.

Choose the Right Synonym for banal

insipid, vapid, flat, jejune, banal, inane mean devoid of qualities that make for spirit and character.

insipid implies a lack of sufficient taste or savor to please or interest.

an insipid romance with platitudes on every page

vapid suggests a lack of liveliness, force, or spirit.

an exciting story given a vapid treatment

flat applies to things that have lost their sparkle or zest.

although well-regarded in its day, the novel now seems flat

jejune suggests a lack of rewarding or satisfying substance.

a jejune and gassy speech

banal stresses the complete absence of freshness, novelty, or immediacy.

a banal tale of unrequited love

inane implies a lack of any significant or convincing quality.

an inane interpretation of the play

Examples of banal in a Sentence

The more banal, the more commonplace, the more predictable, the triter, the staler, the dumber, the better. Don DeLillo, Mao II, 1991
The instructor's script is banal, relying heavily on images of waves on a beach or clouds in the sky. Maxine Kumin, "Wintering Over," 1979, in In Deep1987
… it seemed to me that computers have been used in ways that are salutary, in ways that are dangerous, banal and cruel, and in ways that seem harmless if a little silly. Tracy Kidder, The Soul of a New Machine, 1981
He made some banal remarks about the weather. The writing was banal but the story was good.
Recent Examples on the Web Nothing makes a couple’s emotional issues seem small and banal like a backdrop of cosmic infinity. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024 There’s something quite banal about everything going terribly well for somebody. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2024 There were so many theories about my presence on the island, ranging from the banal to the absurd, that the Alderney Press ran an article for the express purpose of debunking them. Rebecca Panovka, Harper's Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 From the beginning of the 2016 campaign to the present day, a dominant theme has been how, in Trump world, the banal duplicity a person tends to experience in a political operation has reached a kind of baroque late-stage Darwinism. Robert Draper, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024 Charlene’s perspective helps to elevate McDermott’s somewhat banal plot to literary fiction. Diane Scharper, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 Many plot points—Dale’s hospitalization, his interactions with his benefactor’s family, his brief reunion with a singer who’s an old flame—are dramatically banal. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2024 The samples offered are purple and banal, hardly living up to Gabriel García Márquez’s witticism about similar fabrications. Jesse Green, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024 Others, such as designer Jane Wade, are transfixed by the very act of movement, of transporting oneself from their personal safe haven to often banal corporate environments. José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'banal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "pertaining to a feudal lord's right to extract usage fees for mills, ovens, etc., within his jurisdiction, available for general use, ordinary, commonplace, trite," going back to Old French bannel "subject to a feudal lord's jurisdiction, of seigneurial authority," borrowed from Medieval Latin bannālis, banālis "ordered by a ban, invested with public authority," from bannus, bannum "order given by a public authority, authority, jurisdiction" (borrowed from Old Low Franconian *banna- "call to arms by a lord") + Latin -ālis -al entry 1 — more at ban entry 2

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of banal was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near banal

Cite this Entry

“Banal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banal. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

banal

adjective
ba·​nal bə-ˈnal How to pronounce banal (audio) ba- How to pronounce banal (audio) -ˈnȧl How to pronounce banal (audio)
bā-ˈnal;
ˈbān-ᵊl
: not original, fresh, or exciting : stale, commonplace
banality
bə-ˈnal-ət-ē
 also  bā-
 or  ba-
noun
banally
bə-ˈnal-lē How to pronounce banal (audio)
ba-
-ˈnȧl-;
bā-ˌnal-;
ˈbān-ᵊl-(l)ē
adverb

Medical Definition

: of a common or ordinary kind
banal skin organisms
a banal inflammation

More from Merriam-Webster on banal

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