Commonplace Meaning
/ˈkɑmənˌpleɪs/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOrdinary; not having any remarkable characteristics.
nounA platitude or cliché.
Sentence Examples
Space travel will be commonplace some time in the future.
In my grandmother's lifetime, both telephones and computers have become commonplace.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
In that remote village, electricity is still not a ____ sight in homes.
Word Origin & History
A calque of Latin locus commūnis, referring to a generally applicable literary passage, itself a calque of Ancient Greek κοινὸς τόπος (koinòs tópos).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
""This Mr. Tyrrel," she said, in a tone of authoritative decision, "seems after all a very ordinary sort of person, quite a commonplace man.""
— 1824, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 7, in St. Ronan's Well:
"In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts,[…], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned."
— 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
"I could get hold of nothing but of some commonplace phrases, those futile phrases that give the measure of our impotence before each other's trials."
— 1911, Joseph Conrad, chapter 1, in Under Western Eyes:
"Commonplace sounds had turned into threats."
— 1970, Wally Ferris, Across 110th, page 193:
"In the old days, hopping onto the platform from a not-yet-stopped train was a commonplace stunt for daily commuters in a hurry."
— 2025 July 9, Frank Mueller, “Protecting the railway from new and existing dangers”, in RAIL, number 1039, page 62:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
In that remote village, electricity is still not a ____ sight in homes.