as in cliche
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
another sitcom based on the banality of roommates with opposite personalities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of banality
The banality of state terror infecting common lives is what makes The Seed of the Sacred Fig so recognizable.
—
Armond White, National Review, 22 Jan. 2025
Perhaps there’s something melancholy but appealing about the idea of a passionate romance that speeds up time, leaving one person with only difficult but beautiful memories, instead of the banalities of daily life that accompany a long partnership.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The movie highlights the ‘banality of evil,’ a phrase coined by Hannah Arendt, and puts forward the idea that the commandant was just a person, not a monster.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, 17 Jan. 2025
Barton appears to enjoy juxtaposing the banality of Helen’s life as a wife and mother—flawlessly hosting her husband’s holiday work party, sticking jewels on a crown for a Nativity costume—with the extravagant action of her secret life.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for banality
Armond White, National Review, 22 Jan. 2025
Perhaps there’s something melancholy but appealing about the idea of a passionate romance that speeds up time, leaving one person with only difficult but beautiful memories, instead of the banalities of daily life that accompany a long partnership.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The movie highlights the ‘banality of evil,’ a phrase coined by Hannah Arendt, and puts forward the idea that the commandant was just a person, not a monster.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, 17 Jan. 2025
Barton appears to enjoy juxtaposing the banality of Helen’s life as a wife and mother—flawlessly hosting her husband’s holiday work party, sticking jewels on a crown for a Nativity costume—with the extravagant action of her secret life.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for banality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banality
Noun
-
But my money’s on Baker, one of the world’s finest filmmakers who tells stories about characters Hollywood so often turns into cliches and leaves behind.—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2025
-
All the cliches about how hard he’s worked in the weight room and on the football field … his work in the classroom is even more impressive, if not equally impressive.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The two-dimensional characters communicate in bromides; Lena’s fellow privates, who suffer from the laziest defining characteristics (coarse Southern gal, proper preacher’s daughter, New Yorker), are the worst offenders.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
6 Dec. 2024
-
In place of triumph-of-the-human-spirit bromides, though, what the book delivers is its own kind of cinema, harsh and true.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
8 July 2024
Noun
-
The Grand Ole Opry House holds 4,400 people, but can’t accommodate standing-room tours, a commonplace in genres like EDM and hip-hop.—
Matthew Leimkuehler,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Cora’s passion is helping people discover new ways to think about the commonplace, like our clothing.—
Cora Harrington,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The members simply rounded up the usual suspects of platitudes.—
Vincent Turley,
Hartford Courant,
2 Mar. 2025
-
And Romero and his curatorial team didn’t really engage with Abramovic beyond cursory platitudes.—
Kim Córdova,
New York Times,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
This truism sits at the very heart of Republicans' fight over a grand budget deal.—
Axios,
Axios,
27 Feb. 2025
-
There are certain truisms that are hard to resist when talking about an album like Debí Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Bad Bunny’s sixth.—
Joan Escutia,
Vogue,
10 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Banality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banality. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share