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commonplace

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.23 sec.
com·mon·place  (kmn-pls)
adj.
Having no remarkable features, characteristics, or traits; ordinary.
n.
1.
a. A trite or obvious remark; a platitude: "the solidified commonplaces of established wisdom" John Simon. See Synonyms at cliche.
b. Something that is ordinary or common.
2. Archaic A passage marked for reference or entered in a commonplace book.

[Translation of Latin locus commnis, generally applicable literary passage, translation of Greek koinos topos.]

common·placeness n.

commonplace
Adjective
1. so common or frequent as not to be worth commenting on: foreign holidays have now become commonplace
2. dull or unoriginal: a commonplace observation
Noun
1. a cliché
2. an ordinary thing [translation of Latin locus communis argument of wide application]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.commonplacecommonplace - a trite or obvious remark
comment, remark, input - a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information; "from time to time she contributed a personal comment on his account"
truism - an obvious truth
Adj.1.commonplace - completely ordinary and unremarkable; "air travel has now become commonplace"; "commonplace everyday activities"
ordinary - not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree; "ordinary everyday objects"; "ordinary decency"; "an ordinary day"; "an ordinary wine"
2.commonplacecommonplace - not challenging; dull and lacking excitement; "an unglamorous job greasing engines"
unexciting - not exciting; "an unexciting novel"; "lived an unexciting life"
3.commonplacecommonplace - repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse; "bromidic sermons"; "his remarks were trite and commonplace"; "hackneyed phrases"; "a stock answer"; "repeating threadbare jokes"; "parroting some timeworn axiom"; "the trite metaphor `hard as nails'"
unoriginal - not original; not being or productive of something fresh and unusual; "the manuscript contained unoriginal emendations"; "his life had been unoriginal, conforming completely to the given pattern"- Gwethalyn Graham

commonplace
adjective 1. everyday, common, ordinary, widespread, pedestrian, customary, mundane, vanilla (slang) banal, run-of-the-mill, humdrum, dime-a-dozen (informal) << OPPOSITE rare
Translations
Spanish commonplace [ˈkɔmənpleɪs] adjcorriente
French commonplace [ˈkɔmənpleɪs] common adjbanal(e)ordinaire
German commonplace [ˈkɔmənpleɪs] common adjalltäglich
Italian commonplace [ˈkɔmənpleɪs] adjbanale, ordinario/a

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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
That diction, on the other hand, is lofty and raised above the commonplace which employs unusual words.
But for all this, the question remains,-- what are the novelists to do with commonplace people, and how are they to be presented to the reader in such a form as to be in the least degree interesting?
I have subdued him entirely by sentiment and serious conversation, and made him, I may venture to say, at least half in love with me, without the semblance of the most commonplace flirtation.
 
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