banality

noun

ba·​nal·​i·​ty bə-ˈna-lə-tē How to pronounce banality (audio) bā- How to pronounce banality (audio)
 also  ba-
plural banalities
1
: something that lacks originality, freshness, or novelty : something banal : commonplace
2
: the quality or state of lacking new or interesting qualities : the quality or state of being banal

Examples of banality in a Sentence

The trip offers an escape from the banalities of daily life. We exchanged banalities about the weather. The writing never rose above banality.
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.
Not necessarily the worst team, but just a season that was boring, devoid of news, etc. — Clint N. While there are a few contenders, the 2013 season stands alone for tedium and banality. Pete Sampson, New York Times, 11 July 2025 The costuming choices reflected the banality of the tech elites, with a few flourishes, like the bright Polaris snowmobile jumpsuits and long underwear worn in one early scene. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025 Hers is a direct critique of the banalities of global capitalism and its entanglement with labor and production, told through a body of work that is at once familiar yet strange, moving between the real and the fictional to fascinating and powerful effect. Nargess Banks, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025 As Don, the principal, tries to handle a looming crisis, using every banality at his new-age disposal, the conversation in the chat veers correspondingly out of control. Jesse Green, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for banality

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French banalité, from banal "available for general use, commonplace, banal" + -ité -ity

Note: The modern French word is probably an eighteenth-century coinage, and not continuous with Middle French bannalité "a feudal lord's right to extract usage fees, area under such a jurisdiction."

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of banality was in 1821

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Banality.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banality. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on banality

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!