commonplace
C1Neutral to formal
Definition
Meaning
Something ordinary, unremarkable, or frequently encountered.
Can refer to a platitude or trite remark. Historically also referred to a notebook for collecting notable ideas or quotes.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The adjective often carries a negative connotation of being boring due to over-familiarity, but can be neutral when describing statistical normality.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning or usage. Slightly more common in British academic writing.
Connotations
Identical.
Frequency
Comparatively frequent in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
It is commonplace for NP to-infNP is commonplaceNP has become commonplaceVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “pass into the commonplace”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Describes standard practices or widely adopted technologies.
Academic
Used to discuss prevalent theories, frequent phenomena, or trite arguments.
Everyday
Describes ordinary events or unremarkable objects.
Technical
Can describe baseline or control conditions in experiments.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- Mobile phones are now commonplace in primary schools.
- His views were considered quite commonplace for the time.
American English
- Online shopping is completely commonplace now.
- It's commonplace to see people working from coffee shops.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Smartphones are commonplace today.
- It is commonplace for students to use laptops in class.
- Coffee shops on every corner have become commonplace.
- Despite being a technological marvel a decade ago, voice recognition software is now utterly commonplace.
- The author argued that what was once revolutionary had passed into the commonplace.
- The critique pointed out the commonplace nature of the protagonist's existential dilemma, rendering the novel's central theme somewhat banal.
- In post-industrial economies, service sector employment is not merely common but utterly commonplace.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: COMMON (frequent) + PLACE (location/situation) = a situation that is frequent and normal.
Conceptual Metaphor
FREQUENCY IS NORMALITY / ORIGINALITY IS VALUE
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation to 'общее место' (obsolescent), prefer 'обычное дело', 'заурядный'. Do not confuse with 'common ground' (общая почва).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'common place' as two words (incorrect for the adjective/noun). Confusing with 'common ground'.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'commonplace' used correctly?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is primarily used as an adjective meaning 'ordinary'. It can also be a noun meaning 'a trite remark or observation'.
'Common' means frequent or shared by many. 'Commonplace' emphasises being ordinary to the point of being unremarkable or lacking originality, often with a slight negative connotation.
Rarely. Its core meaning is neutral, but it often implies dullness due to over-familiarity. In contexts like safety or accessibility, it can be positive (e.g., 'Vaccines are now commonplace,' implying good distribution).
Yes, historically. A 'commonplace book' was a personal notebook for recording quotes and ideas. The modern adjective meaning evolved from the notion of things being fit to be recorded in such a general collection.