conventional wisdoms

noun

plural of conventional wisdom
as in party lines
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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Recent Examples of Synonyms for conventional wisdoms
  1. generalizations
  2. stereotypes
Noun
  • At last week’s meeting, though, Warsh spoke largely in platitudes and generalizations.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Some called out the statement for making sweeping generalizations about Phish fans, especially when most of the crowd was all kind vibes.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2026
Definition of generalizations
Noun
  • Research has shown that women with obesity earn about 6% less than thinner women for identical work and that people in larger bodies may also face discriminatory termination and negative stereotypes that can hinder hiring and career advancement.
    — Brittney McNamara, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Non-Asian parents in TV shows talked about this stuff all the time, yet my parents were living stereotypes.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of stereotypes
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.

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conventional wisdom
conventional wisdoms
conventions
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Cite this Entry

“Conventional wisdoms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conventional%20wisdoms. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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