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Definition of commonplacenext
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commonplace

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noun

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
Adjective
Even after homosexuality was decriminalized in the post-Soviet country at the turn of the century, intolerance has been commonplace. Ryan Oehrli updated February 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 Feb. 2026 Proponents of the bill argue that since shootings have become commonplace at religious institutions across the country, all houses of worship should be able to provide security for their congregants. Lauren Costantino february 5, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
Noun
Plot details are under wraps, but that's commonplace for a Perkins project. Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Nov. 2025 Ion gauges are relatively cheap (under US $1,000) and commonplace. IEEE Spectrum, 24 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for commonplace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commonplace
Adjective
  • At normal pool, anglers will find them at depths of 20-25 feet.
    Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
  • What the files do seem to confirm, though, is the conspiracy theorist’s view of an elite stratosphere, where normal rules don’t apply, everyone knows each other, and ideological differences are subsumed to self-interested motives.
    The Week UK, TheWeek, 14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • While hematologists and vascular medicine doctors have the most expertise managing blood thinners, the ubiquitous nature of the medications means they are prescribed by everyone from primary care physicians to cardiologists.
    David Cox, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
  • With the algorithms delivering the same cycle of digital inspiration, and the ubiquitous availability of all these products, our interiors have begun developing a sameness.
    Mary Grace Granados Special Contributor, Dallas Morning News, 4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Later, Lenape artist Joe Baker places cutout photographs of his ancestors over the stereotyped images of Native Americans found in the wallpaper.
    Tom McDonough, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2025
  • Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.
    Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • Their goal with the video was to push back against the president’s domestic troop deployments, a trend his critics feared might lead to clashes with ordinary Americans or be used to interfere in upcoming elections.
    Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Nothing out of the ordinary there, admittedly.
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Close added that Dugalic’s intense effort was in response to a couple of games during which Dugalic wasn’t playing to her usual standard.
    Felicia Keller, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
  • On a chilly Austin morning, downtown buzzed with excitement earlier than usual for a Sunday.
    Aaron E Martinez, Austin American Statesman, 15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • While a few icons have grown tired (like the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and Eden Roc Miami Beach, missing from this list), several have recently poured money into renovations, including the Mayfair House and Gardens; Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, which just reopened; and the Delano Miami.
    Devorah Lev-Tov, Robb Report, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Bell remembered during the Stars on Ice tour in 2022 when the skaters rolled into a new city, tired, groggy and sore from the long bus ride, Liu, dressed in a baggy hoodie and billowing sweatpants, could go on the ice and throw perfect jumps without warning.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • What’s happening now underscores that truism.
    Dan Walters, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Mayors of other county cities have recently validated that truism.
    U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • This is not your typical Aladdin’s Cave vintage shop, where rails are stacked on top of each other and garments fill every corner.
    Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
  • However, the expert warned that focusing on combat performance could push robot development away from typical industrial or service uses, because fighting requires extreme, short bursts of high-impact movement rather than steady, practical operation.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Commonplace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commonplace. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.

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