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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
Rainey wants to bring common sense to local government by bringing in more businesses and housing, supporting infrastructure and communicating with citizens about who their local officials are, her campaign site says. Pj Green october 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025 While that may seem common sense at first glance, the devil is in the details. Cole Marting, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for commonsense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commonsense
Adjective
  • In terms of strategics, the growing media and entertainment trend of integrating physical park assets into cross-platform media ecosystems makes the industry a logical candidate.
    Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Bipolar disorder involves alternating episodes of depression and mania, a state where thoughts race, impulsive decisions feel logical, and sleep becomes almost optional.
    Essence, Essence, 23 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
  • The state alleged that Amazon doesn’t go far enough to find reasonable accommodations for employees upon request and fails to consider whether a different accommodation or work location would be a match for an employee who is pregnant or has a disability.
    Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Wisconsin law enforcement agencies may use a drone to gather evidence or other information in a criminal investigation from or at a place or location where an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy if a search warrant is obtained.
    Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Reverence for the past, and reluctance to destroy until the risks of destruction are fully known, is not timidity but wisdom, in architecture as in life.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
  • My daughter, in all her wisdom and childhood intuition, figured this out right away.
    Christa Carmen, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Deliberative democracy is the idea that decision-making and governance are arrived at through thoughtful, reasoned and respectful dialogue.
    Lee Bebout, The Conversation, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Both of those rankings praised the city for offering a sense of community, mountain scenery and a bustling arts scene.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2025
  • There was a sense of Diana and Charles arriving at Westminster Abbey in separate coaches on the day of the coronation.
    Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • This was a sensible decision at the time, whether for reasons of NHL precedence, respect for the Thrashers organization, or inclusion of Thrashers fans who followed Atlanta to Winnipeg.
    Murat Ates, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Far from being doomed by his polarizing legacy, Republicans are poised to emerge as the party of the sensible center, representing the non-polarized public, while Democrats, mired in anti-Trump fervor, risk alienating the masses with diminished appeal.
    Nafees Alam, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Commonsense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commonsense. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

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