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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
See All Example Sentences for 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
See All Example Sentences for banal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banal
Adjective
-
And, actually, representative of the sport in these non-boring ’20s.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Aesha knows a thing or two about Bitcoin, despite finding it a boring topic of conversation — her fiancé, Scott, is into crypto.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Choose simple, bland foods that are easy to digest, such as bananas and toast.—
Chelsea Rae Bourgeois,
Health,
20 Sep. 2025
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While the buzz about Borderlands 4 has been mostly positive (aside from serious PC performance issues reported early on), the game’s bland opening feels out of keeping with the franchise, offering a reminder that Borderlands has always been about more than just slick gameplay.—
G Kirilloff,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
-
At the time, Latinos were often cast in stereotyped roles with heavy accents and largely denied the opportunity to direct features.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
On the road, the Murano sidesteps the insipid CVT vibe of the past.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
17 Aug. 2025
-
Callahan’s baritone is rich and full, but the rest of the instrumentation feels insipid.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 July 2025
Adjective
-
New York fairgoers eventually grew tired of this, Pirro said.—
Ayana Archie,
NPR,
27 Sep. 2025
-
On the Blumarine spring 2026 runway in Milan on Friday, models tapped into their inner bohemian-fairy party girl personas with charcoal eyeliner smudged around their eyes, faded hues on their lips and tired waves in their hair.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The track opens with a provocative guitar riff, setting the stage for a fierce jungle hunt rather than a dull cat-and-mouse game.—
Billboard China,
Billboard,
1 Oct. 2025
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So much noise, apparently, that Yankees management is pressuring Ticketmaster to keep Sox fans down to a dull roar.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Creative accounting, of course, has a long history of cropping up during a boom, a tradition dating far back, to the Gilded Age when inflating assets, understating liabilities, and bribery were commonplace.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
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Police called for assaults, contraband Records show violence at Lookout Mountain was commonplace.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The first trimester was always tiring.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
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Without a strict hierarchy or single decision-maker, our process can sometimes be slow, messy, or even tiring.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Banal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banal. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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