banal
/bəˈnɑːl
/ /bəˈnal/adjective
So lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring: songs with banal, repeated words...
- The banal and obvious truth is that life and a country are largely what you make of them.
- No one can get excited about the most boring and banal of road stops like this guy.
- I made a long list of quite banal and boring questions that I went through and asked this man.
Synonyms
trite, hackneyed, clichéd, platitudinous, vapid, commonplace, ordinary, common, stock, conventional, stereotyped, predictable, overused, overdone, overworked, stale, worn out, time-worn, tired, threadbare, hoary, hack, unimaginative, unoriginal, derivative, uninspired, prosaic, dull, boring, pedestrian, run-of-the-mill, routine, humdrum
informal old hat, corny, played out, hacky
North American informal cornball, dime-store
rare truistic, bromidic
Derivatives
banally
- (All banally true, but in the context of the programme, it was a sudden outbreak of sensitivity).
- Number 3 seems banally sensible, until you read Howard's closing statement.
- Children may be the future, as the authors banally point out, but adults are the people who decide the direction.
Origin
Mid 18th century (originally relating to feudal service in the sense 'compulsory', hence 'common to all'): from French, from ban 'a proclamation or call to arms'; ultimately of Germanic origin and related to ban1.