Definition of commonplace
1
archaic
: a striking passage entered in a commonplace book
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Examples of commonplace in a Sentence
It is a commonplace that we only use a small part of our brain's capacity.
We now accept cell phones and laptop computers as commonplaces of everyday life.
Recent Examples of commonplace from the Web
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But the film's best moments have nothing to do with realism, as Mann's black vision lifts the subject out of the commonplace and into a strange, haunting ur-world of elemental violence.
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But Basil Mediterranean Kitchen is also capable of the commonplace — not a redeeming quality at these price points.
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Before cars were commonplace in the City by the Bay, horses were quartered in common stables—something like an equine parking garage.
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The move from high-wage locations to low-wage ones has become commonplace as the economy globalized, upending stable middle-class communities.
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The series also revealed how the once rarely-used gut-and-go maneuver had become commonplace.
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Gold rush Such extensive testing—and exorbitant billing—has become more commonplace amid the national epidemic of opioid abuse and overdose deaths.
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Since then, the term has become a commonplace in political commentary.
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Internal watchdogs have launched at least nine audits, reviews or investigations across several Cabinet agencies, and stories about first-class travel, expensive office furniture and internal strife have become commonplace.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commonplace.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of commonplace
translation of Latin locus communis widely applicable argument, translation of Greek koinos topos
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 1561
in the meaning defined at sense 1
See Words from the same yearcommonplace Synonyms
Synonyms
banality, bromide, chestnut, cliché (also cliche), groaner, homily, platitude, shibboleth, truism;
Near Antonyms
Other Literature Terms
Definition of commonplace
: commonly found or seen : ordinary, unremarkable
- a commonplace occurrence
- the large mergers that had become commonplace
- Computers are commonplace in classrooms.
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commonplaceness
nounExamples of commonplace in a Sentence
Drug use has become commonplace at rock concerts.
He photographed commonplace objects like lamps and bowls.
Recent Examples of commonplace from the Web
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The view that there were many modernisms is now commonplace.
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But that tempting, cheap price tag doesn’t reflect the very real, devastating human and environmental cost, from the fast food industry, where workplace injuries are commonplace, to fast fashion, which relies on vulnerable, neglected labor abroad.
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Laws against the Chinese people already in America, like San Francisco’s laundry ordinance, were commonplace.
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The strange plastic house was home to household gadgets that today seem commonplace—a flat-screen TV, a microwave oven—but would not be available to 1957 audiences for many years to come.
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While boy bands and girl groups are commonplace in South Korea, K-pop has only seen a handful of co-ed idol acts.
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Unicorn Mythical creatures are commonplace for Halloween costumes, and unicorns appear to be no different.
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Protests of the national anthem became commonplace across the NFL in Week 3 after President Donald Trump demanded owners to fire players who chose to protest during the national anthem while speaking at a rally in Huntsville, AL.
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For one, airline and airport employee walk-outs are increasingly commonplace in Europe, where unions enjoy stronger protections than their stateside counterparts.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commonplace.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of commonplace
commonplace Synonyms
Synonyms
average, common, cut-and-dried (also cut-and-dry), everyday, garden-variety, normal, ordinary, prosaic, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard, unexceptional, unremarkable, usual, workaday;
Antonyms
abnormal, exceptional, extraordinary, odd, out-of-the-way, strange, unusual;
Near Antonyms
curious, funny, peculiar, quaint, queer;
aberrant, anomalous, atypical, irregular, untypical;
fantastic (also fantastical), phenomenal;
bizarre, far-out, outrageous, wacky (also whacky), way-out, weird, wild;
eccentric, idiosyncratic, kooky (also kookie), nonconformist, oddball, offbeat, unconventional, unorthodox;
conspicuous, notable, outstanding, prominent, salient, signal, striking, unexampled, unprecedented;
Related Words
regular, typical, unextraordinary;
familiar, homely, plain, popular, vulgar;
Phrases
par for the course;
Other Literature Terms
COMMONPLACE Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of commonplace for English Language Learners
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: an idea, expression, remark, etc., that is not new or interesting
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: something that happens or appears in many places and is not unusual
commonplace
Definition of commonplace for English Language Learners
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: happening or appearing in many places and not unusual : very common or ordinary
COMMONPLACE Defined for Kids
Definition of commonplace for Students
: something that is often seen or met with
- Crowds are a commonplace of city life.
Learn More about commonplace
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See words that rhyme with commonplace Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for commonplace Spanish Central: Translation of commonplace Nglish: Translation of commonplace for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of commonplace for Arabic speakers
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