conventional wisdom

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 Despite considerable evidence to the contrary, conventional wisdom has long held that New York City simply isn’t a taco town. Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025 Fall will bring more heavy hitters like Zootopia 2, which will challenge the conventional wisdom that Toy Story is the only series allowed to win the trophy more than once. Nate Jones, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025 The reductive, conventional wisdom in the party held that nonwhite voters, especially Hispanic Americans, would be the key to a new Democratic national majority after the party’s miseries in the post-9/11 world. Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 19 Aug. 2025 If the teams played in the regular season, conventional wisdom is that Pat Surtain II would cover Harrison most of the time. Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 14 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conventional wisdom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conventional wisdom
Noun
  • Failure to comply with the loyalty pledge is punishable by requiring researchers to repay scholarships in full, creating a powerful incentive to toe the party line.
    Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2025
  • He is not limited by the party line—or by the desires of wealthy Republican donors.
    Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Much of his attention that evening is focused on Alma’s star doctoral student Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), who responds to his playful taunting about why her generation is so guarded by pinpointing it to the moment his generation started making sweeping generalizations about them.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Design for specialization, not generalization.
    Dhanya Shah, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The concept art in question is action-heavy, suggesting the sort of setpiece more commonplace in a CG blockbuster.
    Blake Simons, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2025
  • The Depression had made itinerancy an unfortunate commonplace, no cause for celebration.
    Ben McGrath, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • However, men often weigh the potential social costs before speaking up, which can lead them to not engage or to reinforce gender stereotypes.
    Colleen Tolan, The Conversation, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Though gender stereotypes have persisted, Suni tells me that playing with LEGOs and doing gymnastics share a lot of common ground.
    Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • His illness has limited him to light catch play over the past few days, and the shift in plans meant some slight alterations to his routine, which Ireton ran through with club security.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Afterall, your beauty routine should grow with you—just like confidence, wisdom, and self-love.
    Larry Stansbury, Essence, 5 Sep. 2025

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“Conventional wisdom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conventional%20wisdom. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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