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Definition of commonplacenext
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as in cliché
an idea or expression that has been used by many people the familiar summertime commonplace that "It's not the heat, it's the humidity"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 commonplace
Adjective
So much of what is now commonplace in the modern NBA can be traced back to the way Nellie approached the game. ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026 While Musk’s wealth, even in the face of recent losses, is extreme, dramatic disparities have become commonplace. Jen Cole Wright, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026
Noun
Or is this commonplace in NBA transactions? Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 May 2026 In the early 2000s, Sears began to use its website — the new iteration of its catalog — to help pioneer the now-commonplace practices of buying goods online and picking them up in store. Domenica Bongiovanni, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for commonplace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commonplace
Adjective
  • The sensor returned to normal after Menon doffed the suit, but NASA took some extra time to make sure there was no serious issue.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Restrictive eating and other disordered eating behaviors can start to feel very normal when your whole algorithm is feeding you back-to-back tips on how to shrink yourself.
    Miranda Roberts, The Conversation, 17 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • This strategy allows DeMellier to be desirable without being ubiquitous.
    Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Flock has been facing mounting pushback from citizens across the political spectrum over privacy, along with instances of vandalism and protest by those who oppose how ubiquitous the cameras have become across the United States.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Despite their outer appearances and oftentimes stereotyped personalities, the ladies embrace each other’s depths and contradictions.
    Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
  • This is a directed, stereotyped behavior in which the highest-resolution region of the somatosensory surface is brought to bear on the object requiring the most detailed analysis.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Noun
  • But most politicians are pretty easily replaced, a truism that Moreno reinforced by going public.
    Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
  • There’s a long-standing truism in the world of physical attacks that defenders need to succeed every time, but attackers need to succeed just once.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Kurt's key takeaways What caught my attention here is how ordinary the problem is.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • For a growing number of Charlotte-area homeowners, the path to foreclosure can start with something as ordinary as a missed paycheck, a medical setback or a rising monthly bill.
    Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Its separate entrance, elevators, and staff have always set it apart from the surrounding casino ecosystem, offering a smoke-free, gaming-free environment with all the brand’s usual service signatures.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
  • For example, someone who is comfortable walking for 30 minutes could walk at their usual pace for several minutes, then pick it up for a minute or two before slowing down again.
    Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • The new owners took over the keys to a tired and decaying club in the spring and have since overseen a summer renovation that has stretched from assembling a new first-team squad to restoring hot water to Hillsborough.
    Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Despite all that staying power, glycerin and hyaluronic acid keep the full-coverage formula from feeling dry, while caffeine gives tired undereyes a brightening, de-puffing assist.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 14 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Of course, when a person live-streams long enough, banality can eventually give way to horror.
    Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
  • For all the women looking up at me to think of me not as a crying heap on a toilet whose baby never latched but as someone who found meaning in all of our daily banalities.
    Danielle Parker, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Commonplace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commonplace. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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