commonplace 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of commonplacenext
1
as in normal
being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events a commonplace occurrence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ubiquitous
often observed or encountered the large corporate mergers that have become commonplace

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

commonplace

2 of 2

noun

ˈkä-mən-ˌplās How to pronounce commonplace (audio)
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
Its data shows that in only two other countries is payment by check still commonplace. — Jay L. Zagorsky, The Conversation, 24 July 2026 That idea is fairly commonplace now—but that’s because Perel helped popularize it. — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
Noun
Or is this commonplace in NBA transactions? — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 May 2026 In the early 2000s, Sears began to use its website — the new iteration of its catalog — to help pioneer the now-commonplace practices of buying goods online and picking them up in store. — Domenica Bongiovanni, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for commonplace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commonplace
  1. normal
  2. ubiquitous
  3. stereotyped
  4. truism
  5. ordinary
  6. usual
  7. tired
  8. banality
Adjective
  • This figure has already exceeded the European Commission's estimate for annual wildfire losses across the entire European Union in a normal year.
    — , CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Since military prototypes often undergo multiple design revisions, such modifications are considered a normal part of the aircraft development process.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of normal
Adjective
  • And the motifs that dominated front pages and became ubiquitous on social media weren’t so much what happened on the court or pitch but how fans came together away from the stadium.
    — Leo MacLehose, Sportico.com, 31 July 2026
  • And Amazon and other merchants gobbled up the ubiquitous concrete cubes dotting the region’s landscape.
    — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of ubiquitous
Adjective
  • Despite their outer appearances and oftentimes stereotyped personalities, the ladies embrace each other’s depths and contradictions.
    — Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
  • This is a directed, stereotyped behavior in which the highest-resolution region of the somatosensory surface is brought to bear on the object requiring the most detailed analysis.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Definition of stereotyped
Noun
  • There’s a long-standing truism in the world of physical attacks that defenders need to succeed every time, but attackers need to succeed just once.
    — Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • There are, however, exceptions to this truism, which brings me to my brief personal list of best movie adaptations of great literature.
    — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026
Definition of truism
Adjective
  • Bhagawat Dulal, a Soccer for Success coach who now also translates for detainees, said even ordinary life has started to feel dangerous.
    — Maansi Srivastava, NPR, 21 July 2026
  • Even the ordinary act of scrolling in bed can throw the system off.
    — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 21 July 2026
Definition of ordinary
Adjective
  • Malnati will have to hold off a field that is stronger than usual in Detroit.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Lincoln City Manager Sean Scully joked about the unusual scene when asked by The Sacramento Bee why council members and staff had traded their usual attire for Western wear.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of usual
Adjective
  • One way to discourage the habit would be to keep yourself from becoming overly tired.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 30 July 2026
  • Many of those creators can no longer command the same fees from brands, and more often than not their followers are tired of the same old content.
    — Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 30 July 2026
Definition of tired
Noun
  • And yet for God’s sake, just look at the man—at his dispiriting attempts at humor, his weirdly off-putting outfits, his incessant posting of banalities and faux profundities and extreme-right disinformation on social media.
    — Mark O’Connell, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
  • But together, the whole is blander than the sum of its parts—a subtle banality humans can often implicitly sense.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 29 June 2026
Definition of banality

Browse Nearby Words

common or garden
commonplace
commonplaceness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Commonplace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commonplace. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on commonplace

Nglish: Translation of commonplace for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All