commonality
/kɒməˈnalɪti
/noun (plural commonalities)
1 [mass noun] The state of sharing features or attributes: the explanations show a high degree of commonality in their reasoning [in singular]: a commonality of interest ensures cooperation...
- The photographs are both stunning and confounding in their simplicity and in the commonalities that they share.
- To be sure, the territories share important commonalities of climate, geography, demography, economy and identity.
- They nourished their differences more than their commonalities.
1.1 [count noun] A shared feature or attribute: we discern the commonalities between these writers...
- Blank, empty, plain were just a few commonalities we shared.
- They also need to learn about the differences and, more importantly, the commonalities they share with others.
- These findings show that frequently selected resources in libraries share some commonalities.
2 (the commonality) another term for commonalty. noble intent lifts you as hero above the commonality...
- He does not often pay for his own petrol; he does not understand what the commonality might actually want from a visitor attraction.
- The commonality are allowed virtually no contact with serious literature.
- He makes it no secret that he disapproves of the commonality speaking out.
Origin
Late Middle English (in sense 2): variant of commonalty. sense 1 dates from the mid 16th century, but was rarely used before the 1950s.