1
as in normal
being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events
the once-powerful hurricane eventually abated into just a garden-variety tropical storm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in usual
often observed or encountered
the bakery's extravagant creations are not your garden-variety wedding cakes
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 garden-variety
All of which might be dismissed as garden-variety conspiracy, not to mention being beyond the organizational capacity of the Democratic Party.
—
Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026
This will not be your garden-variety sports labor dispute.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2026
Sure, there are your garden-variety influencers with their performative prossecco and rental resortwear, but these guests don’t announce their net worth—because their wears do it for them.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Underneath, a few key upgrades set it apart from the garden-variety wagon.
—Byron Hurd, The Drive, 22 Jan. 2026
In a career spanning six decades, Weir was key to developing the Grateful Dead from garden-variety psychedelic rockers as the Warlocks to godfathers of the jam band genre.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 15 Jan. 2026
Some point to the usual suspects — the Illuminati, Bohemian Grove, garden-variety Satanists.
—Lane Brown, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Teddy’s reasoning is a confusion of save-the-world alarmism, garden-variety derangement, unhealed trauma, and single-minded revenge.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
But Tatum is more than just your garden-variety charmer.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026
This will not be your garden-variety sports labor dispute.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2026
Sure, there are your garden-variety influencers with their performative prossecco and rental resortwear, but these guests don’t announce their net worth—because their wears do it for them.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Underneath, a few key upgrades set it apart from the garden-variety wagon.
—Byron Hurd, The Drive, 22 Jan. 2026
In a career spanning six decades, Weir was key to developing the Grateful Dead from garden-variety psychedelic rockers as the Warlocks to godfathers of the jam band genre.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 15 Jan. 2026
Some point to the usual suspects — the Illuminati, Bohemian Grove, garden-variety Satanists.
—Lane Brown, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Teddy’s reasoning is a confusion of save-the-world alarmism, garden-variety derangement, unhealed trauma, and single-minded revenge.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
But Tatum is more than just your garden-variety charmer.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for garden-variety
Adjective
-
Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law, said Trump’s attempts to bypass the normal confirmation processes are unconstitutional.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
-
According to the study, it is encoded in the internal structure of the remnant through what physicists call quasi-normal modes.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The deeper layers of your soul may feel much nearer to the surface than usual.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Apr. 2026
-
With speed on the right wing as essentially a pure winger rather than her usual right-back role, Oke gave Reign’s defense fits, especially when another midfielder joined and created overloads.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Events like this have begun to feel ordinary—recurring evidence of the mismatch between aging infrastructure and an emerging ecological reality.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The judge said that conduct, as described in the complaint, could rise above ordinary discipline and implicate a constitutional violation of the student's right to bodily integrity.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The dog is one of the two most ubiquitous and most popular domestic animals in the world (the cat is the other).—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Even Grignon is surprised at how ubiquitous the iPhone has become.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As noted earlier, Form 1099-K is the typical reporting form gig workers receive from platforms that handle the collection of payments from customers and transfer the worker’s share to them.—
Annette Nellen,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
-
So far, the WGA has only disclosed to members that the provisional agreement will span four years rather than the union’s typical three.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Mastectomies intended to prevent breast cancer have become more common among women with elevated risks, including genetic mutations and a family history of the disease.—
Brett Kelman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
One of the most common examples involves the use of manure.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Precipitation is currently about 90 percent of average, boosted by strong winter storms in December.—
Brady Halbleib,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The average cost of mold remediation is about $2,300, according to Angi, a home services marketplace.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The birding site notes that hummingbirds migrate alone, often following familiar paths, and can travel up to 500 miles at a time at speeds of 20 to 30 mph.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Bogen says the pattern is familiar from older Internet platforms, where small behavioral cues became signals that shaped what users saw and how they were categorized.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Garden-variety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/garden-variety. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
