banal

adjective

ba·nal bə-ˈnal How to pronounce banal (audio)

ba-,

-ˈnäl

bā-ˈnal;

ˈbā-nᵊl

: lacking originality, freshness, or novelty : trite

banalize

bə-ˈna-ˌlīz How to pronounce banal (audio)

ba-

-ˈnä-;

bā-ˈna-;

ˈbā-nᵊl-ˌīz

transitive verb

banally

bə-ˈnal-lē How to pronounce banal (audio)

ba-

-ˈnäl-;

bā-ˈnal-;

ˈbā-nᵊl-(l)ē

adverb

Did you know?

How do you pronounce banal?

There are several pronunciations of banal, but the three most common are \\BAY-nul\\, \\buh-NAHL\\, and \\buh-NAL\\ (which rhymes with canal). The earliest pronunciation given in our dictionaries is the now-unused \\BAN-ul\\ (rhymes with “flannel); it is attested to in our dictionaries back to the 1800s, but has dropped out of use. \\BAY-nul\\ is the next oldest pronunciation. The more recent \\buh-NAL\\ and \\buh-NAHL\\ came about through French influence, since banal was borrowed into English from French, and those two pronunciations are closer to the French pronunciation of banal. All three pronunciations are acceptable in educated speech; \\buh-NAL\\ is currently the most common, followed by \\BAY-nul\\ and then \\buh-NAHL. There is no reason to condemn any of them as incorrect.

Example Sentences

The more banal, the more commonplace, the more predictable, the triter, the staler, the dumber, the better.

Don DeLillo, Mao II, 1991 The instructor's script is banal, relying heavily on images of waves on a beach or clouds in the sky.

Maxine Kumin, "Wintering Over," 1979, in In Deep, 1987 … it seemed to me that computers have been used in ways that are salutary, in ways that are dangerous, banal and cruel, and in ways that seem harmless if a little silly.

Tracy Kidder, The Soul of a New Machine, 1981 He made some banal remarks about the weather. The writing was banal but the story was good.

Recent Examples on the Web This seemingly banal story resonated, first with staff, then with managers, then with senior managers, and eventually the president.

Steve Denning, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022 Documentarian Wilson takes a meandering approach to seemingly banal subjects and then skillfully turns them into profound inquisitions into the human condition.

Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2022 Bay Area bartenders are annihilating any notion that tomatoes should remain relegated to the banal territory of tepid Bloody Marys at mediocre brunches.

Adahlia Cole, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Aug. 2022 Stipe was enunciating more clearly than ever, but with the mystery gone, his lyrics started to feel banal, if not dull.

Al Shipley, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2022 Johnson worked in another sort of outsider vernacular—at once banal, vulgar, campy, and deeply sophisticated.

Vince Aletti, The New Yorker, 22 July 2022 For banal activities, and not only for special occasions?

Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 13 July 2022 Meir and Tova are a Sephardic, upper-middle-class couple, seemingly resigned to live out the rest of their semi-retirement in the banal comforts of an upscale apartment complex in a Tel Aviv suburb.

San Francisco Chronicle, 6 July 2022 Ghoulish faces lurk in the walls behind otherwise banal neighborly interactions, conveying a genuine feeling of paranoia and madness.

Christian Holub, EW.com, 17 June 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "pertaining to a feudal lord's right to extract usage fees for mills, ovens, etc., within his jurisdiction, available for general use, ordinary, commonplace, trite," going back to Old French bannel "subject to a feudal lord's jurisdiction, of seigneurial authority," borrowed from Medieval Latin bannālis, banālis "ordered by a ban, invested with public authority," from bannus, bannum "order given by a public authority, authority, jurisdiction" (borrowed from Old Low Franconian *banna- "call to arms by a lord") + Latin -ālis -al entry 1 — more at ban entry 2

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

banal

adjective

as in bland

lacking in qualities that make for spirit and character unlike their early work, the band's latest offering is banal and uninspiring

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

bland
boring
insipid
dull
tiring
vapid
uninteresting
humdrum
inane
watery
unexciting
flat
uninspiring
monotonous
subdued
tiresome
drab
tedious
pedestrian
innocuous
weak
unrewarding
lifeless
wishy-washy
milk-and-water
wearying
ordinary
wearisome
dreary
namby-pamby
heavy
commonplace
dry
ponderous
inoffensive
leaden
weary
unexceptional
jading
mild
stale
soft
tame
common

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

poignant
piquant
pungent
racy
spicy
substantial
entertaining
exciting
inspiring
thrilling
meaty
invigorating
galvanizing

as in cliche

used or heard so often as to be dull please find new ways of phrasing your thoughts instead of relying on banal expressions

Synonyms & Similar Words

cliche
stereotyped
tired
hackneyed
commonplace
clichéd
boring
trite
cliché
obligatory
typical
usual
shopworn
stale
tiring
timeworn
cardboard
old
threadbare
hack
hackney
conventional
dull
cobwebby
musty
ordinary
well-worn
platitudinous
standard
unimaginative
derivative
prosaic
vapid
uninteresting
bromidic
unoriginal
humdrum
normal
uninspired
monotonous
pedestrian
tiresome
rote
imitative
dusty
drab
tedious
moth-eaten
wearying
heavy
routine
jejune
wearisome
dreary
colorless
undramatic
stock
stodgy
tame
canned
pedantic
arid
dry
barren
weary
ponderous
leaden
drudging
cookie-cutter
numbing
mind-numbing
ho-hum
flat
stuffy
ready-made
platitudinal
old hat
jading
twice-told
tried-and-true
old-fashioned

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

unhackneyed
new
original
fresh
novel
exciting
interesting
intriguing
enlivening
riveting
engrossing
atypical
unusual
strange
stimulating
engaging
extraordinary
involving
energizing
galvanizing
absorbing
uncommon
unfamiliar
gripping
unclichéd
animating
invigorating
unprecedented
unknown
unaccustomed
unheard-of
pioneering
pathbreaking
trailblazing

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of banal are flat, inane, insipid, jejune, and vapid. While all these words mean "devoid of qualities that make for spirit and character," banal stresses the complete absence of freshness, novelty, or immediacy.

a banal tale of unrequited love

The synonyms flat and banal are sometimes interchangeable, but flat applies to things that have lost their sparkle or zest.

although well-regarded in its day, the novel now seems flat

Although the words inane and banal have much in common, inane implies a lack of any significant or convincing quality.

an inane interpretation of the play

While in some cases nearly identical to banal, insipid implies a lack of sufficient taste or savor to please or interest.

an insipid romance with platitudes on every page

While the synonyms jejune and banal are close in meaning, jejune suggests a lack of rewarding or satisfying substance.

a jejune and gassy speech

The words vapid and banal can be used in similar contexts, but vapid suggests a lack of liveliness, force, or spirit.

an exciting story given a vapid treatment

单词	banal
释义	banal adjective ba·nal bə-ˈnal ba-, -ˈnäl bā-ˈnal; ˈbā-nᵊl : lacking originality, freshness, or novelty : trite banalize bə-ˈna-ˌlīz ba- -ˈnä-; bā-ˈna-; ˈbā-nᵊl-ˌīz transitive verb banally bə-ˈnal-lē ba- -ˈnäl-; bā-ˈnal-; ˈbā-nᵊl-(l)ē adverb Did you know? How do you pronounce banal? There are several pronunciations of banal, but the three most common are \\BAY-nul\\, \\buh-NAHL\\, and \\buh-NAL\\ (which rhymes with canal). The earliest pronunciation given in our dictionaries is the now-unused \\BAN-ul\\ (rhymes with “flannel); it is attested to in our dictionaries back to the 1800s, but has dropped out of use. \\BAY-nul\\ is the next oldest pronunciation. The more recent \\buh-NAL\\ and \\buh-NAHL\\ came about through French influence, since banal was borrowed into English from French, and those two pronunciations are closer to the French pronunciation of banal. All three pronunciations are acceptable in educated speech; \\buh-NAL\\ is currently the most common, followed by \\BAY-nul\\ and then \\buh-NAHL. There is no reason to condemn any of them as incorrect. Synonyms flat insipid milk-and-water namby-pamby watery wishy-washy See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences The more banal, the more commonplace, the more predictable, the triter, the staler, the dumber, the better. Don DeLillo, Mao II, 1991 The instructor's script is banal, relying heavily on images of waves on a beach or clouds in the sky. Maxine Kumin, "Wintering Over," 1979, in In Deep, 1987 … it seemed to me that computers have been used in ways that are salutary, in ways that are dangerous, banal and cruel, and in ways that seem harmless if a little silly. Tracy Kidder, The Soul of a New Machine, 1981 He made some banal remarks about the weather. The writing was banal but the story was good. Recent Examples on the Web This seemingly banal story resonated, first with staff, then with managers, then with senior managers, and eventually the president. Steve Denning, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022 Documentarian Wilson takes a meandering approach to seemingly banal subjects and then skillfully turns them into profound inquisitions into the human condition. Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2022 Bay Area bartenders are annihilating any notion that tomatoes should remain relegated to the banal territory of tepid Bloody Marys at mediocre brunches. Adahlia Cole, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Aug. 2022 Stipe was enunciating more clearly than ever, but with the mystery gone, his lyrics started to feel banal, if not dull. Al Shipley, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2022 Johnson worked in another sort of outsider vernacular—at once banal, vulgar, campy, and deeply sophisticated. Vince Aletti, The New Yorker, 22 July 2022 For banal activities, and not only for special occasions? Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 13 July 2022 Meir and Tova are a Sephardic, upper-middle-class couple, seemingly resigned to live out the rest of their semi-retirement in the banal comforts of an upscale apartment complex in a Tel Aviv suburb. San Francisco Chronicle, 6 July 2022 Ghoulish faces lurk in the walls behind otherwise banal neighborly interactions, conveying a genuine feeling of paranoia and madness. Christian Holub, EW.com, 17 June 2022 See More Word History Etymology borrowed from French, "pertaining to a feudal lord's right to extract usage fees for mills, ovens, etc., within his jurisdiction, available for general use, ordinary, commonplace, trite," going back to Old French bannel "subject to a feudal lord's jurisdiction, of seigneurial authority," borrowed from Medieval Latin bannālis, banālis "ordered by a ban, invested with public authority," from bannus, bannum "order given by a public authority, authority, jurisdiction" (borrowed from Old Low Franconian banna- "call to arms by a lord") + Latin -ālis* -al entry 1 — more at ban entry 2 First Known Use 1825, in the meaning defined above Medical Definition banal adjective ba·nal bə-ˈnal ba- -ˈnȧl; bā-ˈnal; ˈbān-ᵊl : of a common or ordinary kind banal skin organisms a banal inflammation banal adjective 1 as in bland lacking in qualities that make for spirit and character unlike their early work, the band's latest offering is banal and uninspiring Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance bland boring insipid dull tiring vapid uninteresting humdrum inane watery unexciting flat uninspiring monotonous subdued tiresome drab tedious pedestrian innocuous weak unrewarding lifeless wishy-washy milk-and-water wearying ordinary wearisome dreary namby-pamby heavy commonplace dry ponderous inoffensive leaden weary unexceptional jading mild stale soft tame common Antonyms & Near Antonyms poignant piquant pungent racy spicy substantial entertaining exciting inspiring thrilling meaty invigorating galvanizing See More 2 as in cliche used or heard so often as to be dull please find new ways of phrasing your thoughts instead of relying on banal expressions Synonyms & Similar Words cliche stereotyped tired hackneyed commonplace clichéd boring trite cliché obligatory typical usual shopworn stale tiring timeworn cardboard old threadbare hack hackney conventional dull cobwebby musty ordinary well-worn platitudinous standard unimaginative derivative prosaic vapid uninteresting bromidic unoriginal humdrum normal uninspired monotonous pedestrian tiresome rote imitative dusty drab tedious moth-eaten wearying heavy routine jejune wearisome dreary colorless undramatic stock stodgy tame canned pedantic arid dry barren weary ponderous leaden drudging cookie-cutter numbing mind-numbing ho-hum flat stuffy ready-made platitudinal old hat jading twice-told tried-and-true old-fashioned Antonyms & Near Antonyms unhackneyed new original fresh novel exciting interesting intriguing enlivening riveting engrossing atypical unusual strange stimulating engaging extraordinary involving energizing galvanizing absorbing uncommon unfamiliar gripping unclichéd animating invigorating unprecedented unknown unaccustomed unheard-of pioneering pathbreaking trailblazing See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of banal are flat, inane, insipid, jejune, and vapid. While all these words mean "devoid of qualities that make for spirit and character," banal stresses the complete absence of freshness, novelty, or immediacy. a banal tale of unrequited love The synonyms flat and banal are sometimes interchangeable, but flat applies to things that have lost their sparkle or zest. although well-regarded in its day, the novel now seems flat Although the words inane and banal have much in common, inane implies a lack of any significant or convincing quality. an inane interpretation of the play While in some cases nearly identical to banal, insipid implies a lack of sufficient taste or savor to please or interest. an insipid romance with platitudes on every page While the synonyms jejune and banal are close in meaning, jejune suggests a lack of rewarding or satisfying substance. a jejune and gassy speech The words vapid and banal can be used in similar contexts, but vapid suggests a lack of liveliness, force, or spirit. an exciting story given a vapid treatment
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banal

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Medical Definition

adjective

adjective

Synonym Chooser