1
as in normal
being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events
a commonplace occurrence
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ubiquitous
often observed or encountered
the large corporate mergers that have become commonplace
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3
as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull
a thriller that uses the commonplace plot twist of the evil twin
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as in cliché
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
the familiar summertime commonplace that "It's not the heat, it's the humidity"
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of commonplace
Lee Billings, Scientific American, 18 Mar. 2026
The outgoing policy, enacted by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch under then-mayor Eric Adams last May, came amid concern over pedestrian safety given the high volume of e-bike traffic that has become commonplace on NYC streets.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Plot details are under wraps, but that's commonplace for a Perkins project.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commonplace
Adjective
Space launches are now so commonplace that they’re scarcely seen as newsworthy.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 18 Mar. 2026
The outgoing policy, enacted by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch under then-mayor Eric Adams last May, came amid concern over pedestrian safety given the high volume of e-bike traffic that has become commonplace on NYC streets.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
But in between these commonplace alerts are empty spaces people wake into as to a sort of apnea.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Plot details are under wraps, but that's commonplace for a Perkins project.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commonplace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commonplace
Adjective
-
The mall resumed operations as normal following the shooting, as police determined there was no threat to the general public.—
Andrew Adeolu,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Waymo vehicles also can take 30 minutes to wait for and twice as long as a normal ride.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Cheap, ubiquitous and always on, cameras are uniquely useful targets.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Netflix became ubiquitous as a subscription product, while YouTube became the go-to platform for younger (and then increasingly older) viewing habits.—
Andrew Marchand,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Kelly Enders-Tharp, a three-time surrogate and education and experience specialist at Growing Generations, explains that surrogates are often stereotyped, or that their backgrounds are misrepresented.—
Kris Ann Valdez,
Parents,
13 Feb. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Many Catholic theologians believe that ordinary care and treatment such as feeding tubes, on the other hand, should be continued.—
Robert S. Olick,
The Conversation,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Send no one back to Congress who will not commit to tax reform benefiting ordinary Americans.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The tank was placed on the ice March 10 and fell through by March 25, weeks earlier than usual.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The injury riddled Kings — playing their second game in 24 hours and their third in four nights — were even more shorthanded than usual.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
They have been seen directing snaking security lines and passing out water bottles to tired travelers.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Step in when someone’s tired or needs a break.—
Chris John Amorosino,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That is a truism of NFL free agency.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The play isn’t subtle; the final sequence leans hard on truisms about addiction and trauma, which are affecting but overly explicit.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In early 2019 and in late 2025, two federal government shutdowns ended shortly after travel disruptions escalated following higher-than-typical absences of air traffic controllers.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The education budget in a typical year is about a third of the city’s total financial plan, which has historically failed to account for actual spending.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Commonplace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commonplace. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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