COMMONPLACE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does commonplace mean? 

• COMMONPLACE (noun)
  The noun COMMONPLACE has 1 sense:

1. a trite or obvious remark

  Familiarity information: COMMONPLACE used as a noun is very rare.

• COMMONPLACE (adjective)
  The adjective COMMONPLACE has 3 senses:

1. completely ordinary and unremarkable

2. not challenging; dull and lacking excitement

3. repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

  Familiarity information: COMMONPLACE used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COMMONPLACE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A trite or obvious remark

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

banality; bromide; cliche; commonplace; platitude

Hypernyms ("commonplace" is a kind of...):

comment; input; remark (a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information)

truism (an obvious truth)

Derivation:

commonplace (repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse)

• COMMONPLACE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Completely ordinary and unremarkable

Context example:

commonplace everyday activities

Similar:

ordinary (not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree)

Derivation:

commonplaceness (ordinariness as a consequence of being frequent and commonplace)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Not challenging; dull and lacking excitement

Synonyms:

commonplace; humdrum; prosaic; unglamorous; unglamourous

Context example:

an unglamorous job greasing engines

Similar:

unexciting (not exciting)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

Synonyms:

banal; commonplace; hackneyed; old-hat; shopworn; stock; threadbare; timeworn; tired; trite; well-worn

Context example:

the trite metaphor 'hard as nails'

Similar:

unoriginal (not original; not being or productive of something fresh and unusual)

Derivation:

commonplace (a trite or obvious remark)

 Context examples 

When our visitor was silent Holmes stretched out his hand and took down letter “S” of his commonplace book.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The J.P. shrugged his shoulders, and led the way into his own chamber, which was a plainly furnished and commonplace room.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Then Sherlock Holmes pulled down from the shelf one of the ponderous commonplace books in which he placed his cuttings.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The scared look faded from her eyes, and her agitated features smoothed into their usual commonplace.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He was a good man, but he was commonplace, and there is no place in society for commonplace people.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It's commonplace with you, I know.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

The attachment of Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax became commonplace, threadbare, stale in the comparison, exciting no surprize, presenting no disparity, affording nothing to be said or thought.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

And this man I bent over—this commonplace, quiet stranger—how had he become involved in the web of horror? and why had the Fury flown at him?

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

The most trivial, paltry, insignificant part; the merest commonplace; not a tolerable speech in the whole.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

There are strange red depths in the soul of the most commonplace man.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)