common

1 of 2

adjective

com·​mon ˈkä-mən 

1

a

: of or relating to a community at large : public

work for the common good

b

: known to the community

common nuisances

2

a

: belonging to or shared by two or more individuals or things or by all members of a group

a common friend

buried in a common grave

common interests

b

: belonging equally to two or more mathematical entities

triangles with a common base

c

: having two or more branches

common carotid artery

3

a

: occurring or appearing frequently : familiar

a common sight

b

: of the best known or most frequently seen kind

—used especially of plants and animals

the common housefly

c

: vernacular sense 2

common names

4

a

: widespread, general

common knowledge

b

: characterized by a lack of privilege or special status

common people

a common laborer

c

: just satisfying accustomed criteria : elementary

common decency

5

a

: falling below ordinary standards : second-rate

Oh hard is the bed they have made him, / And common the blanket and cheap …

—A. E. Housman

b

: lacking refinement : coarse

… said, in his common vulgar way, the City would have to lump it.

—J. K. Jerome

6

: denoting nominal relations by a single linguistic form that in a more highly inflected language might be denoted by two or more different forms

common gender

common case

7

: of, relating to, or being common stock

commonly adverb

commonness

ˈkä-mən-nəs 

noun

commonness

2 of 2

noun

com·​mon·​ness ˈkä-mə(n)-nəs 

plural -es

: the quality or state of being common: such as

a

: the quality of being possessed or shared by all humankind or by a group : jointness of possession or use

also : the quality of appealing to the general run of people

although he came from the aristocracy he preserved a certain commonness that made him a successful politician

b

: the possession of usual, standard, ordinary, or undistinguished qualities or character

the commonness of the common man

also : the quality of occurring or appearing frequently in the ordinary course of events

they are the familiar folk one can come upon in any town, on any street, and in this book their commonness lends an extraordinary reality to the events that overtake them

—Harrison Smith

c

: the marked display of lack of learning, refinement, or taste

her father's commonness was what offended the daughter most, his habit of sitting in the parlor in his undershirt drinking beer

d

: indiscriminateness, vulgarity, promiscuousness

Synonyms of common

Adjective

• ordinary
• usual
• commonplace
• familiar
• frequent
• household
• ubiquitous

Choose the Right Synonym for common

common, ordinary, plain, familiar, popular, vulgar mean generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual.

common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence

a common error

lacked common honesty

and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness.

common manners

ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things.

an ordinary pleasant summer day

a very ordinary sort of man

plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity.

plain hard-working people

familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized.

a familiar melody

popular applies to what is accepted by or prevalent among people in general sometimes in contrast to upper classes or special groups.

a writer of popular romances

vulgar, otherwise similar to popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness).

souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste

Examples of common in a Sentence

Adjective

They have a common ancestor.

The people on the island have a sense of common identity.

It is common practice for one town's fire department to help another town when there is a big fire.

Electric windows are a common feature in new cars.

“Smith” is a common name.

I think some of the most common flowers are also some of the prettiest.

cures for the common cold

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Once the Islander opened the door, in typical Love Island USA fashion, they were prompted to kiss the other islanders with common interests. —Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 9 June 2026

Insider tip Don’t miss all of the cool art lining the walls in the common areas. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 June 2026

Aiyuk appears to direct two common insults at the subject of the video — almost certainly the 49ers — by using the literal, nonprofane meanings of the terms rather than saying the vulgar words themselves. —Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026

Variations in measurements by different agencies are common in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake. —Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English commun, from Anglo-French, from Latin communis — more at mean

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing common

• by common consent
• common carrier
• common cattle grub
• common cold
• common consent
• common courtesy
• common denominator
• common difference
• common divisor
• common dormouse
• common fraction
• common good
• common ground
• common knowledge
• common-law
• common-law marriage
• common logarithm
• common market
• common measure
• common merganser
• common minke whale
• common multiple
• common noun
• common or garden
• common pleas
• common property
• common/public good
• common ratio
• common room
• common salt
• common school
• common sense
• common situs picketing
• common stock
• common time
• common touch
• common year
• court of common pleas
• enter common usage
• for the common/public good
• greatest common divisor
• have a lot in common
• have nothing in common
• have/share more/less in common with
• have/share (something) in common
• in common
• in common parlance
• in common with
• least common denominator
• least common multiple
• lowest common denominator
• lowest common multiple
• make common cause
• share a common purpose
• the common touch

Rhymes for common

• aman
• brahman
• brahmin
• lawman
• uncommon

Kids Definition

common

1 of 2 adjective

com·​mon ˈkäm-ən 

1

: relating or belonging to or used by everyone : public

work for the common good

2

: belonging to or shared by two or more individuals or by the members of a group or set

a common ancestor

3

a

: widespread sense 1, general

facts of common knowledge

b

: adequate

common decency

4

: occurring or appearing frequently : familiar

a common sight

5

: not above the average in rank, merit, or social position

the common people

6

a

: falling below ordinary standards : second-rate

b

: coarse sense 5, vulgar

commonly adverb

commonness

-ən-nəs 

noun

common

2 of 2 noun

1

plural : the common people

2

: a piece of land that is open to common use especially for pasture

—often used in plural

Medical Definition

common

adjective

com·​mon ˈkäm-ən 

: formed of or dividing into two or more branches

the common facial vein

common iliac vessels

Legal Definition

common

1 of 2 adjective

com·​mon

1

a

: of or relating to a community at large : public

common defense

b

: known to the community

a common thief

2

: belonging to or shared by two or more persons or things or by all members of a group

when the insured and the beneficiary perish in a common disaster

common areas of the building

3

: of or relating to common stock

common shares

common

2 of 2 noun

1

plural capitalized : house of commons

2

: the legal right of taking a profit in another's land in common with the owner or others

the common of estovers

the common of pasture

3

: a piece of land subject to common use: as

a

: land jointly owned and used especially for pasture

b

: a public open area in a municipality

4

: a condition of shared ownership : a condition in which a right is shared with an interest held by another person

held the estate in common

see also tenancy in common at tenancy compare severalty sense 1

5

: common stock at stock