commonplace

1 of 2

adjective

: 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 2

noun

com·​mon·​place ˈkä-mən-ˌplās How to pronounce commonplace (audio)
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

Examples of commonplace in a Sentence

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Since its passage, property and retail theft have skyrocketed, with flash mobs becoming commonplace at shopping centers to steal goods. Diane Dixon, Orange County Register, 15 Oct. 2024 And the day will come when speaking the truth and advocating for justice will be commonplace and not dangerous in Russia. Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
Noun
Tour ’74 was Dylan’s first-ever arena tour—a rock commonplace by 1974 that had not even been imaginable in 1966. Michaelangelo Matos, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2024 Neumann was a lifelong social democrat whose writings evince neither sympathy for Soviet communism nor any whiff of the fellow-traveling commonplace among radicals during the 1930s and 1940s. William E. Scheuerman, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2013 See all Example Sentences for commonplace 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of commonplace was circa 1531

Dictionary Entries Near commonplace

Cite this Entry

“Commonplace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commonplace. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

commonplace

1 of 2 noun
com·​mon·​place ˈkäm-ən-ˌplās How to pronounce commonplace (audio)
: something that is often seen, heard, or met with

commonplace

2 of 2 adjective
: very common or ordinary

More from Merriam-Webster on commonplace

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