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common sense

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun common sense contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of common sense are judgment, sense, and wisdom. While all these words mean "ability to reach intelligent conclusions," common sense suggests an average degree of such ability without sophistication or special knowledge.

common sense tells me it's wrong

Where would judgment be a reasonable alternative to common sense?

While the synonyms judgment and common sense are close in meaning, judgment implies sense tempered and refined by experience, training, and maturity.

they relied on her judgment for guidance

When would sense be a good substitute for common sense?

The synonyms sense and common sense are sometimes interchangeable, but sense implies a reliable ability to judge and decide with soundness, prudence, and intelligence.

a choice showing good sense

In what contexts can wisdom take the place of common sense?

The words wisdom and common sense are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, wisdom implies sense and judgment far above average.

a leader of rare wisdom

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of commonsense
Noun
Using geographical proximity encourages more heated rivalries and satisfies basic common sense for travel. Jim Root, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025 Yet the state is backing away from a common sense strategy to fix that. Denise Amos, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2025 However, many corporate boards in the U.S. and elsewhere continue to resist common sense boardroom transformation in the face of digital business disruption and increasing cybersecurity risks. Bob Zukis, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025 The erasure of this left-wing, working-class, anti-Zionist common sense can not only be laid at the feet of Israel and its defenders. Literary Hub, 23 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for commonsense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commonsense
Adjective
  • Determining adjacent products like donuts for coffee and chips for sodas is logical.
    Tamara Bebb, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Cashing paper checks typically requires photo identification and verification, so digital banking—where most financial fraud occurs—seems like a more logical area of concern.
    Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • This is emblematic of transit leaders’ lack of fiscal prudence.
    Micky Horstman, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
  • While investor excitement may be high, prudence is advisable.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Regardless of what the future holds, Roman Anthony has set himself and his family up for life, and the Red Sox have locked in yet another piece of their future at a reasonable rate.
    Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • There’s a reasonable fear, especially considering what happened the last time Cunningham mentioned the trend, that this would only attract additional misogynistic attacks.
    Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Piccini's team tackled this by staging hands-on workshops, pairing veteran agronomists with robotics engineers to co-develop protocols that honored both viticultural wisdom and technological best practices.
    Jill Barth, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Flett told me about a graduate student from China who informed him that Confucianism requires perfection on as many as five different points: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness.
    Leslie Jamison, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • In the most generous sense, that is what Palantir’s data analytics tools do: Allow users — mostly military and government agencies, but also private-sector companies — to better visualize large datasets.
    Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
  • In that sense, how did your creative approach change going into this record versus records of the past?
    Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Leeds United & Burnley A Championship title, 100 points, sensible owners, Elland Road redevelopment plans and seven new signings worth around £75million ($101m) before the end of July.
    George Caulkin, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
  • So Bull does what any sensible, testicle-loving mutt would do.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Our people have a horse sense for what good work is.
    Beth Greenfield, Fortune, 1 July 2024
  • His words of wisdom are tinged with wit and old-fashioned horse sense.
    Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2024
Adjective
  • Sir Charlie Mayfield, a stalwart of the UK business community and advisor to Liz Kendall, Work and Pensions Secretary, has recently been quoted in The Times stating that employers have a ‘rational’ fear of hiring disabled staff.
    Nancy Doyle, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • The irony was that Harlem’s numbers queen, a model of rational risk-taking, found herself in a love triangle with a dream-book mystic—then took to the newspapers to denounce Futtam’s obvious impostures.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Commonsense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commonsense. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

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