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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
Adjective
Legislators in Springfield have proposed commonsense protections to preserve Illinois’ remaining wetlands and ensure that new development doesn’t come at the expense of communities downstream. Howard Learner, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025 Free school meals represent commonsense and cost-effective public policy. Becky Pringle, Time, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
For Henry Cockburn, the onset of schizophrenia felt like pure common sense. Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025 Unfortunately, in the United States, common sense often takes a back seat, and our litigation system is abused to turn personal injuries into financial windfalls. Carrie Lukas, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for commonsense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commonsense
Adjective
  • Searching for a logical progression from The Office and like-minded comedies, so far The Paper has come up with a strange, often funny hybrid, with characters experiencing Parks and Rec idealism and Office-style fluorescent-light tedium simultaneously and sometimes incoherently.
    Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Without a body to put to rest, even when there is no other logical conclusion than death, people can imagine and cling to the most improbable of alternatives.
    Bjorn Dihle, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This was a chance for Biden to take the high road, to toe the fiscal line and display financial prudence.
    Boston Herald editorial staff, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
  • The scene serves as a powerful example of prudence, which is often misunderstood, as the team faces the challenging decision of how to save and manage the energy needed to bring the module back.
    Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Bondi could argue that her actions set a reasonable expectation that public officials should conduct themselves with respect towards other branches of government.
    Andrew Binns, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Lawyers for the plaintiffs said their restraining order only prevented federal agents from making stops without reasonable suspicion, in line with the Constitution and Court precedent.
    Dan Gooding Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The difference is the wisdom to recognize that giving away public-trust land and diminishing our quality of life forsakes the permanent greater good for the temporary benefit of a few developers and residents.
    U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The newlyweds' parents also shared words of wisdom.
    Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This has for decades been underpinned by voluntary pricing agreements — voluntary in the sense that non-voluntary terms would have been worse — between the industry and the NHS.
    Ian King, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
  • There is no sense of responsibility or critical assessment of the causes of the refusal to publish in Israel while the massacre continues.
    Uriel Kon September 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The decision to have Keith Andrews succeed Thomas Frank as head coach is a sensible one.
    The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • This can, at first glance, appear sensible to an organization mired in firefighting, where every day reveals another problem.
    Nelson P. Repenning, Time, 5 Sep. 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
  • So there is no logic or any rational decisions made.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The appellate court had held that the INS could not rely on these immigration sweeps but, rather, needed to articulate objective facts and rational inferences to support a reasonable suspicion that each person detained is undocumented.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Commonsense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commonsense. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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