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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
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Bateman also urged a commonsense approach to the conversation around the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was killed while riding a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ashley Hume , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025 This multi-billion dollar industry preys on the poorest families in their most desperate times while spending millions of dollars lobbying against commonsense pretrial reform that might impact the industry’s bottomline. Rebecca Wallace, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
These include concepts like object cohesion, symmetry, and counting—the kind of common sense a small child has. Matthew Hutson, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Sep. 2025 Normal, common sense Americans are no longer taking the bull**** and companies like ABC are finally willing to do the right and reasonable thing. Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for commonsense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commonsense
Adjective
  • Those seemingly chaotic kids are on their way to more obviously logical behavior soon.
    Celeste Kidd, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Things had crumbled enough that Sasaki emerged as a logical option.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Additionally, a boom-and-bust cycle in the early 2000s informs some of the company’s prudence on expansion.
    Zev Fima, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Meanwhile, Taiwan’s military should exercise prudence in its rules of engagement and not assume that every close call is intentional.
    JOEL WUTHNOW, Foreign Affairs, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Jones is signed for another five seasons at a $7 million cap hit that is only going to get more reasonable as the cap continues to rise.
    Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • So, spending your free time on a massive project for your crush seems perfectly reasonable.
    Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Red Mass is a Catholic Mass that celebrates the start of the judicial year and offers prayers for wisdom, counsel, and fortitude for judges, lawyers and public officials.
    Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The Rock channels his old trash-talking persona and adds some sage wisdom for a couple of British youngsters (Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden) wanting advice on how to break into the wrestling business.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Growing up, and well into my early adulthood, my grandma was my best friend—a person who fostered a sense of confidence in me, loved me unconditionally, and gave me the best taste in everything nostalgic from her younger years.
    Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The final finished 14-14, but my abiding memory is the intoxicating swirl of noise and colour created by almost 93,000 fans, plus the sense of anticipation that accompanied the pre-match walk up Olympic Way.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Over the course of nine films that span more than 50 years, not once does horror film icon Leatherface take sensible chainsaw safety precautions.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 2 Oct. 2025
  • To kick off your collection, here’s what The Athletic feel are the most sensible and eye-catching Yamal rookie cards to collect.
    Andrew Mackie, New York Times, 29 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
  • Every argument has a rational, emotional, and rhetorical component.
    Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
  • If the court concludes that conversion therapy is conduct, then the Colorado law is subject to the same standard used in Skrmetti – rational basis – and likely will survive.
    Timothy R. Holbrook, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Commonsense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commonsense. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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