Synonyms of banal

banal

adjective

bə-ˈnal 

1

as in boring

lacking in qualities that make for spirit and character

unlike their early work, the band's latest offering is banal and uninspiring

Synonyms & Similar Words

• boring
• bland
• insipid
• dull
• tiring
• flat
• watery
• milk-and-water
• subdued
• weak
• uninteresting
• vapid
• unexciting
• humdrum
• monotonous
• wishy-washy
• heavy
• inane
• tiresome
• uninspiring
• tedious
• pedestrian
• drab
• namby-pamby
• wearying
• unrewarding
• lifeless
• dry
• innocuous
• wearisome
• weary
• dreary
• ordinary
• leaden
• ponderous
• inoffensive
• commonplace
• soft
• mild
• tame
• unexceptional
• stale
• jading
• common

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• poignant
• piquant
• pungent
• spicy
• racy
• substantial
• exciting
• entertaining
• inspiring
• thrilling
• meaty
• galvanizing
• invigorating

2

as in cliche

used or heard so often as to be dull

please find new ways of phrasing your thoughts instead of relying on banal expressions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cliche
• stereotyped
• tired
• commonplace
• hackneyed
• obligatory
• clichéd
• trite
• boring
• typical
• cliché
• usual
• shopworn
• stale
• old
• hack
• hackney
• timeworn
• tiring
• threadbare
• conventional
• cardboard
• musty
• cobwebby
• dull
• well-worn
• ordinary
• standard
• derivative
• platitudinous
• bromidic
• unimaginative
• normal
• moth-eaten
• prosaic
• dusty
• unoriginal
• uninspired
• uninteresting
• vapid
• humdrum
• imitative
• heavy
• monotonous
• pedestrian
• rote
• tiresome
• tedious
• drab
• wearying
• routine
• ready-made
• wearisome
• tame
• jejune
• weary
• dry
• dreary
• colorless
• canned
• undramatic
• stodgy
• arid
• pedantic
• barren
• leaden
• numbing
• ponderous
• tried-and-true
• stock
• cookie-cutter
• mind-numbing
• ho-hum
• flat
• old-fashioned
• stuffy
• twice-told
• platitudinal
• old hat
• jading
• drudging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• new
• original
• novel
• fresh
• exciting
• interesting
• stimulating
• unhackneyed
• intriguing
• involving
• riveting
• engaging
• engrossing
• energizing
• unusual
• extraordinary
• strange
• absorbing
• animating
• atypical
• gripping
• unfamiliar
• uncommon
• enlivening
• unclichéd
• unheard-of
• unprecedented
• unknown
• invigorating
• galvanizing
• unaccustomed
• pioneering
• pathbreaking
• trailblazing

Synonym Chooser

How is the word banal distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of banal are flat, inane, insipid, jejune, and vapid. While all these words mean "devoid of qualities that make for spirit and character," banal stresses the complete absence of freshness, novelty, or immediacy.

a banal tale of unrequited love

When might flat be a better fit than banal?

The synonyms flat and banal are sometimes interchangeable, but flat applies to things that have lost their sparkle or zest.

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

In what contexts can inane take the place of banal?

Although the words inane and banal have much in common, inane implies a lack of any significant or convincing quality.

an inane interpretation of the play

When is insipid a more appropriate choice than banal?

While in some cases nearly identical to banal, insipid implies a lack of sufficient taste or savor to please or interest.

an insipid romance with platitudes on every page

When is it sensible to use jejune instead of banal?

While the synonyms jejune and banal are close in meaning, jejune suggests a lack of rewarding or satisfying substance.

a jejune and gassy speech

When would vapid be a good substitute for banal?

The words vapid and banal can be used in similar contexts, but vapid suggests a lack of liveliness, force, or spirit.

an exciting story given a vapid treatment

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of banal

The actions had all been engineered to seem so gradual, Evie thought, even banal. —Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025

This was what attracted them, Mala said, because no Indian woman was allowed enough privacy to thus indulge in a solipsistic obsession with her own psychology—encouraged to chart the fluctuations of her temperament in response to deep crises that were inevitably banal. —Kiran Desai, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2025

Musk’s goal wasn’t to achieve the banal status of monopolist. —Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 28 July 2025

The very principle of financialization rules even the most mundane exchange of objects in the same manner that the most banal exchange of economic investment and speculation regulates the sign of spiritual autonomy and utopian aspirations that abstraction had initially promised. —Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025