conventional wisdom

noun

Definition of conventional wisdomnext
as in party line
opinions or beliefs that are held or accepted by most people Conventional wisdom in Hollywood says that a movie can't succeed unless it stars a famous actor or actress.

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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 conventional wisdom Yet conventional wisdom misses crucial dimensions of these challenges. — Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 Both were Jewish, and the conventional wisdom was the statewide ticket could not include more than one Jew. — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2026 For all of Mansour’s skepticism about conventional wisdom—and being an industry disruptor—his willingness to take risks has put Kalshi in the crosshairs over allegations of insider trading and criticism that its contracts amount to gambling. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026 Lawrence, whose campaign is centered on the economy, opposing AI data centers and keeping money at home instead of funding foreign wars, argues that the conventional wisdom about moderation being the key to electability is all wrong. — Tamara Keith, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for conventional wisdom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conventional wisdom
  1. party line
  2. generalization
  3. commonplace
  4. stereotype
  5. routine
Noun
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee voted by a 12-10 party line vote Tuesday to advance Blanche's nomination for a vote by the full Senate later this week.
    — Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Ryan was one of 103 Democrats in the House to break with his party line and vote to end all aid to Israel earlier this month.
    — Max Grinstein, The Washington Examiner, 30 July 2026
Definition of party line
Noun
  • Age can be as much a distortion as gender, race, class, culture, or any other generalization.
    — Gloria Steinem, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Once a model reaches near-perfect performance, researchers need harder tests to separate genuine generalization from increasingly sophisticated task optimization.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of generalization
Noun
  • Wolff was only the eighth woman to drive a Formula 1 car (four more have done it since); the role, a now-commonplace one that includes driving the simulator during Grand Prix weekends to inform trackside strategy, was created for her.
    — Danielle McNally, InStyle, 28 May 2026
  • The videos are often integrated into larger montages of drone strikes, underscoring how commonplace these drones have become for Russian forces.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Definition of commonplace
Noun
  • United could barely get a sniff of the ball and many stereotypes about the two managers’ contrasting styles of play ended up bearing out.
    — Sam Lee, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • But this category belongs to Rhys, whose small-town mayor in Widow’s Bay defies comedy and horror stereotypes.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of stereotype
Noun
  • Nearly every player goes through a sophisticated recovery routine, but the common denominator is the most valuable recovery activity of all.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Look for creators to pivot from salt piles to warm salt baths, foot soaks and cooler post-bath routines.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of routine

Browse Nearby Words

conventionally
conventional wisdom
conventional wisdoms
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Cite this Entry

“Conventional wisdom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conventional%20wisdom. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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