as in cliché
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
another sitcom based on the banality of roommates with opposite personalities
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of banality
Sometimes, though, this immediacy leads to songwriting that’s literal-minded to the point of banality.
—
Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
Using the book as a conscious tool of image-building is a more recent phenomenon, however, leading critic Jaime Fuller to lament the banality of such tomes in his 2019 Literary Hub article.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
The film is a harrowing look at the banality of evil in its most dangerous form.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
Openness comes from these encounters with banality and consistency.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for banality
Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
Using the book as a conscious tool of image-building is a more recent phenomenon, however, leading critic Jaime Fuller to lament the banality of such tomes in his 2019 Literary Hub article.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
The film is a harrowing look at the banality of evil in its most dangerous form.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
Openness comes from these encounters with banality and consistency.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for banality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banality
Noun
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Other testing by the state’s environmental quality department found elevated levels of heavy metals commonly found in oil field wastewater including barium and bromide.—
Nick Bowlin,
ProPublica,
18 May 2026
-
The bromide invites teachers to underestimate their students.—
Steven F. Wilson,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield offered an observation that has since become a Washington commonplace.—
Thomas Wright,
The Atlantic,
18 May 2026
-
Or is this commonplace in NBA transactions?—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Noun
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Taiwan Beneath all the platitudes, there are still some simmering tensions.—
Selina Wang,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
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The lyrics—elsewhere evocative—wilt dramatically, a slurry of platitudes.—
Linnie Greene,
Pitchfork,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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His deep arsenal gives him a chance to handle a truism of the craft.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
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Ever since, intelligence officers have ruefully invoked that truism whenever they’re blamed for a major screwup.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Some, but not all, of those tropes are present in Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s behind-the-scenes drama The Beloved (El Ser Querido), which manages to add a few welcome twists to the formula.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
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The highlight, taking over most of the gallery space on 19th Street, is new paintings by Lisa Yuskavage, a brilliant inversion of the studio painting trope, looking as potent as anything she’s ever made.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
15 May 2026
Noun
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What’s that famous saying about hell hath no fury?—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
16 May 2026
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Sets come in half-dozens and include designs like a soccer ball, a flag, celebratory sayings in the language and a jersey, according to its website.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee
May 15,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Banality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banality. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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