as in mundanity
the quality or state of being ordinary
He was a cheerful person who took pleasure even in the ordinariness of everyday life.
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Recent Examples of ordinariness
Forget the ordinariness of my face, the tip of the scar that peeks out of my sleeve.
—
Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Lane, though, not only captures Willy’s ordinariness and his ubiquity, which is no small achievement for so famous an actor, but also his optimism, his foundational, near-Trumpian belief in a coming Very Big Deal for either him or his sons.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
In the end, though, what made the verdict remarkable was the relative ordinariness of Kaley’s story.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026
Metcalf and Pullman are both wonderful in their shuffling ordinariness, reenacting long-obsolete parental dynamics with a kind of rueful, hopeful denial.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
The ordinariness of their relationship made the moment feel even more special.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025
Robert’s ordinariness doesn’t change.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025
There is something about that ordinariness that is extraordinary.
—Jeff Conway, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
But Wonder Man turns Simon’s ordinariness into its secret weapon, delivering a dramedy that’s all the more charming for being so low-key.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Lane, though, not only captures Willy’s ordinariness and his ubiquity, which is no small achievement for so famous an actor, but also his optimism, his foundational, near-Trumpian belief in a coming Very Big Deal for either him or his sons.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
In the end, though, what made the verdict remarkable was the relative ordinariness of Kaley’s story.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026
Metcalf and Pullman are both wonderful in their shuffling ordinariness, reenacting long-obsolete parental dynamics with a kind of rueful, hopeful denial.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
The ordinariness of their relationship made the moment feel even more special.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025
Robert’s ordinariness doesn’t change.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025
There is something about that ordinariness that is extraordinary.
—Jeff Conway, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
But Wonder Man turns Simon’s ordinariness into its secret weapon, delivering a dramedy that’s all the more charming for being so low-key.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ordinariness
Noun
-
Its combination of inventiveness and mundanity reminds him of the early films of the Lumière brothers, who paved the way for modern cinema with their invention of the cinematograph.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The events are thrilling only in their pure mundanity.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Charles Wylie, the museum’s curator of photography, says the exhibit highlights the centrality of the Black experience in American history, from the tragedies to the mundaneness of family life.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ordinariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ordinariness. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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