Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "commonplace" []

  • Having no remarkable features, characteristics, or traits; ordinary. (adjective)
  • A trite or obvious remark; a platitude: "the solidified commonplaces of established wisdom” ( John Simon). See Synonyms at cliché. (noun)
  • Something that is ordinary or common. (noun)
  • Archaic A passage marked for reference or entered in a commonplace book. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "commonplace" in a sentence
  • "I cannot fancy the man who saw this effect, and took it on the wing with so much force and spirit, was what you call commonplace in the last recesses of the heart."
  • "In the hush of a beautiful Sunday morning the new missionary begins what she calls the commonplace work of the day."
  • "Anyhow, it's more than a little depressing how commonplace is Brewer's apparent assumption: that politics have little or nothing to do with morals and values."