commonplace
1 of 2adjective
: commonly found or seen : ordinary, unremarkable
a commonplace occurrence
the large mergers that had become commonplace
Computers are commonplace in classrooms.
commonplaceness noun
commonplace
2 of 2noun
com·mon·place ˈkä-mən-ˌplās 
1
a
: an obvious or trite comment : truism
It is a commonplace that a fool and his money are soon parted.
b
: something commonly found
A smartphone is a commonplace.
2
archaic : a striking passage entered in a commonplace book
Synonyms
Adjective
- average
- common
- cut-and-dried
- cut-and-dry
- everyday
- garden-variety
- normal
- ordinary
- prosaic
- routine
- run-of-the-mill
- standard
- standard-issue
- unexceptional
- unremarkable
- usual
- workaday
Noun
- banality
- bromide
- chestnut
- cliché
- cliche
- groaner
- homily
- platitude
- shibboleth
- trope
- truism
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective Drug use has become commonplace at rock concerts. He photographed commonplace objects like lamps and bowls. Noun It is a commonplace that we only use a small part of our brain's capacity. We now accept cell phones and laptop computers as commonplaces of everyday life.
Recent Examples on the Web
Joshua Emerson Smith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2022 Such deadlines and extensions are commonplace in the world of SPACs, which have been popular alternatives to traditional initial public offerings. Amrith Ramkumar, WSJ, 6 Sep. 2022 While industrial robots are commonplace in the automotive, manufacturing and electronics sectors, until recently most service robots in hospitality were used for novelty purposes. Rebecca Cairns, CNN, 1 Sep. 2022 Body cameras are commonplace in a majority of large police departments across the country. Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Aug. 2022 As early as the 1940s, I.Q. tests were commonplace in American schools. Hilary Decesare, Forbes, 30 June 2022 Prior to 1972, gender discrimination was commonplace in education and athletics. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 21 June 2022 The studio’s motion also argues that certain similarities are simply commonplace elements that nobody could claim to own. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 27 Aug. 2022 Then repeatedly, seamlessly, the commonplace yields to the metaphysical. Anna Mundow, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022 Chintan Shah, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 Its rapid expansion reflects the explosive growth of an industry built around the ever-more-commonplace diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Erika Fry, Fortune, 29 July 2022 His frequent desires to emotionally disconnect and chemically anesthetize have grown more commonplace among the public — and fellow artists — during the past decade. Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2022 Many of them now just absolute commonplace in our politics and in our national conversation, but at the time, very alien, except to Alex Jones's listeners. CBS News, 1 June 2022 Such spectacles have become commonplace around the Oregon State clubhouse, where Hjerpe’s sense of humor has helped lighten the stress and monotony of a 54-game season. oregonlive, 24 May 2022 Today, an inclusive shade range from the onset is a lot more commonplace in cosmetics than in years past. C. Shardae Jobson, Allure, 5 Apr. 2022 These bare-knuckle tactics, long commonplace in the world of politics, have become increasingly noticeable within a tech industry where companies vie for cultural relevance and come at a time when Facebook is under pressure to win back young users. Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2022 These bare-knuckle tactics, long commonplace in the world of politics, have become increasingly noticeable within a tech industry where companies vie for cultural relevance and come at a time when Facebook is under pressure to win back young users. Taylor Lorenz And Drew Harwell, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Mar. 2022 See More
Adjective
Small brushfires are commonplace in the community east of Jamul. Joshua Emerson Smith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2022 Such deadlines and extensions are commonplace in the world of SPACs, which have been popular alternatives to traditional initial public offerings. Amrith Ramkumar, WSJ, 6 Sep. 2022 While industrial robots are commonplace in the automotive, manufacturing and electronics sectors, until recently most service robots in hospitality were used for novelty purposes. Rebecca Cairns, CNN, 1 Sep. 2022 Body cameras are commonplace in a majority of large police departments across the country. Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Aug. 2022 As early as the 1940s, I.Q. tests were commonplace in American schools. Hilary Decesare, Forbes, 30 June 2022 Prior to 1972, gender discrimination was commonplace in education and athletics. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 21 June 2022 The studio’s motion also argues that certain similarities are simply commonplace elements that nobody could claim to own. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 27 Aug. 2022 Then repeatedly, seamlessly, the commonplace yields to the metaphysical. Anna Mundow, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022 Noun
Moreover, Web3 and Web 3.0 will make decentralized financial concepts more commonplace. Chintan Shah, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 Its rapid expansion reflects the explosive growth of an industry built around the ever-more-commonplace diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Erika Fry, Fortune, 29 July 2022 His frequent desires to emotionally disconnect and chemically anesthetize have grown more commonplace among the public — and fellow artists — during the past decade. Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2022 Many of them now just absolute commonplace in our politics and in our national conversation, but at the time, very alien, except to Alex Jones's listeners. CBS News, 1 June 2022 Such spectacles have become commonplace around the Oregon State clubhouse, where Hjerpe’s sense of humor has helped lighten the stress and monotony of a 54-game season. oregonlive, 24 May 2022 Today, an inclusive shade range from the onset is a lot more commonplace in cosmetics than in years past. C. Shardae Jobson, Allure, 5 Apr. 2022 These bare-knuckle tactics, long commonplace in the world of politics, have become increasingly noticeable within a tech industry where companies vie for cultural relevance and come at a time when Facebook is under pressure to win back young users. Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2022 These bare-knuckle tactics, long commonplace in the world of politics, have become increasingly noticeable within a tech industry where companies vie for cultural relevance and come at a time when Facebook is under pressure to win back young users. Taylor Lorenz And Drew Harwell, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun and Adjective
translation of Latin locus communis widely applicable argument, translation of Greek koinos topos
First Known Use
Adjective
1616, in the meaning defined above
Noun
circa 1531, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Phrases Containing commonplace
Kids Definition
commonplace 1 of 2
adjective
com·mon·place ˈkä-mən-ˌplās
: often seen or met with : ordinary
He draws commonplace objects, like fences.
commonplace
2 of 2noun
: something that is often seen or met with
Crowds are a commonplace of city life.
commonplace 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in ordinary
being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events a commonplace occurrence Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- ordinary
- normal
- usual
- common
- typical
- average
- unremarkable
- standard
- prosaic
- everyday
- familiar
- customary
- unexceptional
- routine
- expected
- workaday
- run-of-the-mill
- cut-and-dried
- regular
- standard-issue
- cut-and-dry
- popular
- predictable
- garden-variety
- trivial
- plain
- frequent
- unimportant
- homely
- vulgar
- insignificant
- par for the course
- unextraordinary
- habitual
- natural
- plain-Jane
- wonted
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unusual
- extraordinary
- strange
- odd
- abnormal
- peculiar
- exceptional
- rare
- quaint
- funny
- curious
- atypical
- anomalous
- scarce
- aberrant
- irregular
- bizarre
- untypical
- outrageous
- queer
- fantastical
- weird
- fantastic
- wild
- phenomenal
- prominent
- out-of-the-way
- unorthodox
- unconventional
- idiosyncratic
- notable
- conspicuous
- eccentric
- outstanding
- striking
- wacky
- unprecedented
- unique
- oddball
- offbeat
- freakish
- outré
- salient
- unparalleled
- nonconformist
- whacky
- recherché
- unexampled
- singular
- novel
- freak
- kooky
- signal
- far-out
- way-out
- Kafkaesque
- kookie
2
as in ubiquitous
often observed or encountered the large corporate mergers that have become commonplace Synonyms & Similar Words
- ubiquitous
- usual
- common
- familiar
- household
- ordinary
- frequent
- general
- everyday
- routine
- quotidian
- prevailing
- normal
- popular
- standard
- prevalent
- garden-variety
- common or garden
- mandatory
- regular
- constant
- continuous
- rampant
- universal
- a dime a dozen
- obligatory
- continual
- endemic
- incessant
- repeated
- recurrent
- unceasing
- ceaseless
- perennial
- de rigueur
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unusual
- uncommon
- rare
- extraordinary
- seldom
- infrequent
- unfamiliar
- abnormal
- unnatural
- occasional
- irregular
- sporadic
- aberrant
- intermittent
3
as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull a thriller that uses the commonplace plot twist of the evil twin Synonyms & Similar Words
- cliche
- stereotyped
- tired
- hackneyed
- banal
- typical
- cliché
- clichéd
- boring
- obligatory
- usual
- trite
- old
- shopworn
- tiring
- ordinary
- conventional
- hackney
- standard
- threadbare
- timeworn
- well-worn
- dull
- hack
- musty
- stale
- normal
- cardboard
- cobwebby
- humdrum
- derivative
- unimaginative
- tedious
- prosaic
- monotonous
- dusty
- uninteresting
- heavy
- tiresome
- imitative
- platitudinous
- routine
- unoriginal
- uninspired
- wearying
- tame
- pedestrian
- drab
- stodgy
- wearisome
- moth-eaten
- rote
- arid
- undramatic
- vapid
- bromidic
- weary
- dreary
- dry
- ho-hum
- colorless
- stock
- barren
- drudging
- ready-made
- ponderous
- jejune
- canned
- twice-told
- tried-and-true
- stuffy
- platitudinal
- mind-numbing
- leaden
- pedantic
- cookie-cutter
- old-fashioned
- numbing
- old hat
- flat
- jading
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- new
- original
- exciting
- unhackneyed
- fresh
- interesting
- novel
- involving
- uncommon
- intriguing
- unusual
- enlivening
- stimulating
- extraordinary
- unfamiliar
- energizing
- engaging
- strange
- unclichéd
- unprecedented
- atypical
- unknown
- galvanizing
- riveting
- engrossing
- absorbing
- animating
- gripping
- invigorating
- unaccustomed
- pioneering
- unheard-of
- pathbreaking
- trailblazing
commonplace
2 of 2noun
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
- cliche
- cliché
- truism
- banality
- trope
- platitude
- saying
- bromide
- shibboleth
- chestnut
- proverb
- groaner
- saw
- generalization
- routine
- conventional wisdom
- homily
- party line
- stereotype
- inanity
- simplification
- adage
- generality
- old wives' tale
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- profundity
- listen for
- listen in
- listen in (on)
- listen in on
- listen out for
- listen to
- listen up
- listen with only half an ear
- listenabilities
- listenable
- listened
- listened (to)
- listened in
- listened in (on)
- listened in on
- listened out for
- listened to
- listened up
- listener
- listener-in
- listeners
- listenership
- listenerships
- listening
- listening (to)