Commonplace (Adjective)
Meaning 1
Completely ordinary and unremarkable; "air travel has now become commonplace"; "commonplace everyday activities".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Related Words
Meaning 2
Not challenging; dull and lacking excitement; "an unglamorous job greasing engines".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- He felt that his office job was becoming commonplace, with the same routine tasks day in and day out.
- Watching grass grow is a commonplace sight, but it's hardly exciting.
- The manual labor tasks required to assemble furniture are commonplace, but they're also time-consuming and tedious.
- Many people view accounting as a commonplace profession, lacking the glamour of more creative fields.
- For most people, cleaning the house is a commonplace chore that's necessary but unfulfilling.
Synonyms
Meaning 3
Repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse; "bromidic sermons"; "his remarks were trite and commonplace"; "hackneyed phrases"; "a stock answer"; "repeating threadbare jokes"; "parroting some timeworn axiom"; "the trite metaphor `hard as nails'".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The phrase "break a leg" has become a commonplace expression in the theater world, losing its original impact through overuse.
- After hearing the same clichés repeated by every politician, her speech seemed dull and commonplace.
- The comedian's jokes, once innovative and funny, had become commonplace and no longer elicited laughter from the audience.
- The tourist traps along the highway had commonplace souvenirs that lacked any unique character or charm.
- The phrase "thinking outside the box" has become a commonplace cliché in business meetings, serving only to irritate rather than inspire.