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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stereotyped
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 authenticity of the writer-protagonist’s feelings is undermined by the banal familiarity of a specific indie-film model.
—
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
This is a banal statement of law, one that Hegseth himself has made publicly in years past.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Crumb, at the time, would be dressed unremarkably casually, in banal pants and sweater, with thick glasses, looking more or less like a geek.
—David Zane Mairowitz, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
And that seemingly uninterrupted one-take is its own argument for the necessity of the medium to transport and astound us out of a banal world, one as banal as the one the Deliriant inhabits as civilization comes to its last gasp.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for banal
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
This is a banal statement of law, one that Hegseth himself has made publicly in years past.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Crumb, at the time, would be dressed unremarkably casually, in banal pants and sweater, with thick glasses, looking more or less like a geek.
—David Zane Mairowitz, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
And that seemingly uninterrupted one-take is its own argument for the necessity of the medium to transport and astound us out of a banal world, one as banal as the one the Deliriant inhabits as civilization comes to its last gasp.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for banal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banal
Adjective
-
Endless gastronomic delights, diverse architecture, and neighborhoods packed with character ensure visitors have everything but a boring trip to the large coastal metropolis.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Who says neutrals have to be boring?—
Amanda Le,
InStyle,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Later, Lenape artist Joe Baker places cutout photographs of his ancestors over the stereotyped images of Native Americans found in the wallpaper.—
Tom McDonough,
Artforum,
1 Nov. 2025
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Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
Nutritionists no longer recommend giving kids bland food, but the idea that children should eat different foods than adults nevertheless stuck.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
-
And when dipped in our unique combination of cocktail sauce blended with barbecue sauce, dinner will be anything but bland.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Nanos must also be tired of talking, though that one is on him.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Aiona has grown tired of spending his retirement telling park-goers to stop feeding the chickens.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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There was the insipid loss at St Andrew’s in August 2023, in Farke’s first season, a game that the wantaway pair of Wilfried Gnonto and Luis Sinisterra refused to play.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
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Even the most insipid formulaic pop nonsense can induce that almost mystical reflection of life if your connections to the time of its airplay are meaningful.—
Jody Mamone,
Hartford Courant,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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All-cash offers, including in Boise and its surrounding suburbs, became commonplace and spurred bidding wars that drove up housing prices, Michael Megis, a longtime broker also with the Homes of Idaho real estate firm, said in an interview.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
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McTier said Disney’s deal with OpenAI is an example of the kind of partnership that should become more commonplace.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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So is, arguably in softer garb, the trend of trigger warnings, which—mirroring the grim cancer label on a pack of cigarettes—dull the impact of a product or dissuade users entirely by advising them that its consumption may be hazardous to their health.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
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These may just be the ordinary, dull rhythms of a relatively stable relationship, and yet these actors make the mundane so much more.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But the movie drifts into hackneyed melodrama that sits awkwardly against the gritty canvas of terrorist incidents, sniper attacks, bombings and police checkpoints.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Feb. 2026
-
This is actually better than some of the hackneyed rom-coms Reiner muddled through, a coming-of-age story about two kids’ pseudo-love story from grade school through middle school.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
16 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Banal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banal. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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