1
as in normal
being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events
a commonplace occurrence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ubiquitous
often observed or encountered
the large corporate mergers that have become commonplace
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull
a thriller that uses the commonplace plot twist of the evil twin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in cliché
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
the familiar summertime commonplace that "It's not the heat, it's the humidity"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 commonplace
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
In the days after, cancellations and postponements had become more commonplace for goods out of China across industries due to the uncertainty over the cost increases.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 May 2025
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
Adjective
For much of Friday, the Dodgers seemed headed to the kind of loss that had become commonplace over their 10-11 slide entering the night.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
In the days after, cancellations and postponements had become more commonplace for goods out of China across industries due to the uncertainty over the cost increases.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 May 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commonplace
Adjective
-
At the World Championships, Metcalfe saw a competitor achieve a 100kg deadlift and decided to push herself beyond her normal limits.—
Andy Frye,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
In normal circumstances, the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act barring U.S. soldiers from acting like law enforcement in the U.S. But the Insurrection Act, first enacted in 1792, allows the president to deploy the military inside the U.S. to help civilian law enforcement with law enforcement duties.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
9 June 2025
Adjective
-
Reflective writing, another recent trend, is practically ubiquitous in medical schools and residency programs, and there is some evidence that writing may make doctors more empathetic and observant.—
Danielle Ofri,
New Yorker,
7 June 2025
-
Smart lawn mowers certainly aren't as ubiquitous as their indoor, floor-cleaning counterparts, and there are several good reasons for that.—
John Mihaly,
PC Magazine,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
So at least in her case, the Wild West cliches hold pretty true.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
30 May 2025
-
Nonetheless, there is a satisfying, compact completeness to their handling of the storylines of four different young mothers and sufficient grace notes are enabled in each case to stave off the cliches that occasionally threaten to engulf events.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
But then again … Look one more time at the last entry in the catalog of ordinary human stuff that the turtle’s shell is compared to: pottery.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
-
JetBlue Airways flight 312 arrived from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport around 11:55 a.m. in what passengers described as an ordinary landing.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
New customers in eligible states can complete these steps to make a larger bet than usual on horse racing: Create an account through the links on this page to activate the best FanDuel promo code offer for the Belmont Stakes.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 June 2025
-
His usual pulpit spot was changed this Sunday morning at Mount Gilead Baptist Church.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
-
Their negative stereotyped reputation seems to follow them like ageism follows older employees or sexism follows female employees.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Ordinarily, between 1,700 and 2,000 job orders are posted during a typical day shift, and between 1,100 and 1,400 are posted during a standard night shift.—
Caroline Petrow-Cohen,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
-
The show ran for four seasons until 2011 and followed a typical teenager who secretly had a double life as a famous pop star.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
7 June 2025
Adjective
-
Now, the No. 4-seed Fort Lauderdale United FC will face a familiar foe: the Tampa Bay Sun FC.—
Kaitlyn Pohly,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2025
-
Those travels led him to familiar favorites in his old San Francisco stomping grounds, reliable stalwarts that define our wide-ranging regions, and a spate of new openings quickly earning nationwide accolades.—
Danielle Dorsey,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commonplace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commonplace. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share