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common sense

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun common sense contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of common sense are judgment, sense, and wisdom. While all these words mean "ability to reach intelligent conclusions," common sense suggests an average degree of such ability without sophistication or special knowledge.

common sense tells me it's wrong

Where would judgment be a reasonable alternative to common sense?

While the synonyms judgment and common sense are close in meaning, judgment implies sense tempered and refined by experience, training, and maturity.

they relied on her judgment for guidance

When would sense be a good substitute for common sense?

The synonyms sense and common sense are sometimes interchangeable, but sense implies a reliable ability to judge and decide with soundness, prudence, and intelligence.

a choice showing good sense

In what contexts can wisdom take the place of common sense?

The words wisdom and common sense are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, wisdom implies sense and judgment far above average.

a leader of rare wisdom

Examples of commonsense in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
While this sounds like common sense, pantry shelves can hide things like a can of tuna that expired back in the Bush presidency or a box of crackers that were used to ring in New Year back in 2020. Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2024 Discover the needs and develop common sense solutions to meet those needs. Jonathan Horwitz, Orange County Register, 4 Oct. 2024 And though common sense would dictate that the slowest contestants be eliminated first to maximize their chances of making the deadline, that’s not how things play out. Mark Peikert, IndieWire, 29 Sep. 2024 In today’s opinions newsletter: Our elections coverage, plus a dose of Republican common sense and Queen Creek’s recent vote to reject diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Joanna Allhands, The Arizona Republic, 29 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for commonsense 

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

Thesaurus Entries Near commonsense

common schools

commonsense

common sense

Cite this Entry

“Commonsense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commonsense. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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