commonplace 1 of 2

Definition of commonplacenext
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commonplace

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noun

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"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 commonplace
Adjective
Free streaming promos are starting to become more commonplace given shifts in viewing habits. Dade Hayes, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2026 Close wins and walk-off wins have become commonplace for Orange Lutheran (10-3) this season. Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026
Noun
Such double-headers are far from commonplace in English football, but are becoming more frequent. Gregg Evans, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026 The most commonplace and the most concerning, as a consequence, come by way of phishing campaigns. Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for commonplace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commonplace
Adjective
  • Calls to the ships’ operators outside normal working hours either weren’t answered or weren’t immediately returned.
    Julian Lee, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Sanoja has primarily played third base this season, with seven of his nine starts coming there, but his last two starts came in center field on Thursday (to give normal starter Jakob Marsee his first day off from the field) and left field on Friday.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Swipe it through the hummus, balanced in tahini and lemon, and mulchy muhammara twanging with pomegranate molasses, and casik, the Turkish variation of the region’s ubiquitous herbed yogurt and cucumber dip.
    Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
  • These ubiquitous quick-service, genre-defying restaurants are capturing the attention of global travelers.
    Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Apr. 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
  • Trump implicitly understands that chutzpah is necessary to transcend ordinary constraints and achieve heroic, even mythic stature.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
  • In the end, the defeat of Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s autocratic prime minister, required not just an ordinary election campaign or new messaging but rather the construction of a broad, diverse, and patriotic grassroots social movement.
    Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Here, in this new context, their large eyes did not seem wide with their usual wonder but swollen with grief and disbelief.
    Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
  • The critical shipping route, responsible for moving a significant share of the world’s oil, has slowed to a fraction of its usual volume amid the war.
    Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Even in Huntington Beach, residents tired of perpetual culture wars rejected two ballot measures last year seeking to give the City Council more control over a municipal library system that Van Der Mark long claimed was essentially providing pornography to children.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Ditch those tired frozen meals and try out something a bit more exciting in your work lunch routine.
    Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Ever since, intelligence officers have ruefully invoked that truism whenever they’re blamed for a major screwup.
    Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026
  • But, travel experts say, that truism doesn't apply during this tumultuous period.
    ANDREA SACHS THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Florida didn't want to pay any homage to Quick during the game, so as not to disrupt the goalie's typical routines.
    CBS News, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
  • The proliferation of letters in the New Testament is also typical of second-century literary activity; letters written as rhetorical models, using the epistolary form as an intimate vehicle for argument, are everywhere in the later period.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Commonplace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commonplace. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.

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