Definition of commonplace in English:

commonplace

adjectiveˈkɒmənpleɪsˈkɑmənˌpleɪs

1Not unusual; ordinary.
平常的；平凡的，普通的
unemployment was commonplace in his trade
在他的行业里，失业是很平常的。
Example sentencesExamples
- With all these commonplace conventions, what is it that makes the file outstanding?
- This is perfectly possible for even an ordinary club level sailor - it is quite commonplace not to have to qualify for an event.
- The survey showed committees were far more commonplace where trade unions had representation.
- Using a computer is becoming more commonplace and sometimes is an absolute necessity for your child to complete his homework assignments.
- The talent of the comic is to make commonplace events remarkable.
- A commonplace event, one would assume on a hot day.
- None of the others had noticed the little scene; it was an event too commonplace to mark.
- He insists that what he is doing is to configure the commonplace issues of ordinary life.
- This is Realism at its most powerful, turning a commonplace event into an historical one.
- A vandalised car, all but ignored by passers-by, reflects how commonplace minor crime has become in small towns.
- Human rights violations are not some sort of other worldly event, they are sometimes very commonplace.
- He advocated that literature should record the writer's affectionate response to ordinary phenomena and commonplace happenings.
- In Rome, assassination would have been a relatively commonplace event; especially for people of the higher class.
- It would only be a matter of time before electronic devices became commonplace objects in the classroom.
- He soon discovered that death was a commonplace event.
- The loss of a job - a sadly commonplace event in today's turbulent economic climate - is not just a blow to the wallet, but a severe hit to the psyche.
- Like it or not, sponsorship deals between companies and the athletic teams are very commonplace not only in the world of pro sports but at SFU as well.
- An everyday tale of a commonplace ballet company!
- The most commonplace events are also opportunities, life-determining choices made or not made.
- It is also, we must never forget, made from joy and the celebration of simple and ordinary and commonplace things and events.
Synonyms
ordinary, run-of-the-mill, middle-of-the-road, mainstream, unremarkable, unexceptional, undistinguished, uninspired, unexciting, unmemorable, forgettable, indifferent, average, so-so, mediocre, pedestrian, prosaic, lacklustre, dull, bland, uninteresting, mundane, everyday, quotidian, humdrum, hackneyed, trite, banal, clichéd, predictable, overused, overdone, overworked, stale, worn out, time-worn, tired, unoriginal, derivative
British common or garden
North American garden variety
informal nothing to write home about, nothing to get excited about, no great shakes, not so hot, not up to much, vanilla, plain vanilla, bog-standard, a dime a dozen, old hat, corny, played out, hacky
British informal not much cop, ten a penny
North American informal ornery, bush-league, cornball, dime-store
Australian/New Zealand informal half-pie
common, normal, usual, ordinary, familiar, routine, standard, everyday, day-to-day, daily, regular, frequent, habitual, conventional, typical, unexceptional, unremarkable
1. 1.1 Not interesting or original; trite.
  平淡无味的；无创见的；平庸的；陈腐的
  the usual commonplace remarks
  老生常谈。
  Example sentencesExamples
  Partly to reinforce the commonplace argument that there will always be a special cultural relationship between Scotland and England and that independence would not disrupt that.
  This approach in Chinese cinema, however, was entirely absent from the films screened in Sydney, which were bland and artistically commonplace works.
  Yet measles, malnutrition and diarrhoea remain tediously commonplace causes of death in all too many parts of it in the first years of the twenty-first century.
  Our visitor bore every mark of being an average commonplace British tradesman, obese, pompous, and slow.
  The commonplace pessimistic argument points out that since low interest rates have been good for the economy, higher interest rates will be bad.
  It had been fed to us for a long time, and therefore, we looked at it as a tedious and commonplace state of things.
  In a word, Liz will be quite a commonplace, average girl of the lower working-class…
  Now 60 years on, the process has been repeated, but reversed, as the commonplace colour of modern films returns to nostalgic black and white.
  After a few more exceedingly commonplace remarks of the same character, she gave me to write down a list of drugs that were to be taken.
  If you think buffets are commonplace and boring, just try the beverage buffet.
  He is never dull and even his more commonplace chapters are enlivened with fascinating detail or asides.
  These types of self-congratulatory remarks are commonplace and formulaic.
  So much more interesting than the flat, filmed performances with irritating cutting that are now commonplace.
  Peace would be all too commonplace and boring, not to mention that it couldn't possibly involve the kind of firepower you're accustomed to.
  The seemingly forward question sounded very trite and commonplace in the blunt honest tone she used.
  Synonyms
  unexciting, boring, dull, tiresome, wearisome, tedious, dreary, tiring, flat, lifeless, monotonous, humdrum, uneventful, slow, unvaried, repetitious, colourless, bland, insipid, banal, dry, pedestrian, prosaic, hackneyed, trite, clichéd, stale

nounˈkɒmənpleɪsˈkɑmənˌpleɪs

1A usual or ordinary thing.
寻常的事物；普通的事物
bombing has become almost a commonplace of public life there
在那里，轰炸几乎已经成为公众生活中的一件平常事了。
Example sentencesExamples
- The point is only driven home by seeing something that has become a commonplace represented as something surprising.
- The latter, a commonplace in the West, is a new concept for the Japanese.
- Whatever you are looking for we have it in the collection, from the endangered to the commonplace.
- It's also one that mentions God as a source of inspiration: something that is rarely mentioned so plainly elsewhere but is a commonplace in country songs.
- It has become a commonplace for playwrights to require actors to play several different parts, and at times a mere two actors is all that is needed to portray several dozen characters.
- His poetry and fiction celebrates the ordinary and commonplace, striving for a transformation that might well be magical.
- I thought they approved of that sort of thing - indeed, they want such scenes to be a commonplace in Her Majesty's Forces.
- It is a commonplace in Germany that elections are decided by the middle.
- It used to be a commonplace that activities aimed at uncovering truth and knowledge set about the relatively simple tasks of making observations and recording results.
- It had been a historical commonplace to view the long interval between Archimedes and Galileo as a period of unrelieved ignorance and superstition.
- It is a commonplace in the West that governments should be as democratic as possible.
- Then he makes a characteristic move: you see how he is able to invest the ordinary, the commonplace, with mystery.
- This is a commonplace of life in the poorest neighbourhood in Vancouver.
- The novelty of the new popular poetry is not its mass appeal; that was a commonplace in American culture in the late nineteenth century.
- The argument is in fact a commonplace of political science.
- And before the vote it had been a commonplace to say that it was the most important election of our lifetimes.
- Answer: This is a commonplace at a badly run lab.
- Dixon is the kind of ordinary hero who had become a commonplace of Ealing films during the war period.
- Matches between female boxers have become a commonplace - if not widely accepted - part of the sport.
- Tales of the commonplace, stories about the small things that make up our daily existence, can be fascinating.
Synonyms
everyday thing/event
routine, nothing out of the ordinary
1. 1.1 A trite saying or topic; a platitude.
  老生常谈；陈词滥调
  it is a commonplace to talk of the young being alienated
  谈论年轻人移情别恋已是老生常谈。
  Example sentencesExamples
  Alas, its open expression is now a commonplace.
  So instead politicians almost uniformly retreat to the safety of the platitude and commonplace.
  My only knowledge of francophone Caribbean literature consisted of a few commonplaces and catchphrases.
  The final pages are full of journalistic commonplaces - ‘Western-style consumerism is unsustainable on a global scale’.
  And what is perhaps the most troubling feature of her writing is her tendency to use commonplaces and cliches and undefined terms as if their meaning were indisputable and clear.
  It has become a commonplace to say of biographies of Plath that they take sides.
  Sontag acknowledges that she is stating a commonplace when she notes the ‘erotic lure [of] things that are vile and repulsive’.
  It's always good to have critical commonplaces questioned, even if you end up reaffirming them.
  Synonyms
  platitude, cliché, truism, hackneyed/trite/banal/overworked saying, stock phrase, old chestnut, banality, bromide
2A notable passage in a work copied into a commonplace book.
备忘札记；摘录

Derivatives

commonplaceness

nounˈkɒmənpleɪsnəsˈkɑmənˌpleɪsnəs

In fact, one is more likely to be struck by the absence of literary devices in Beckett's sentences, by the commonplaceness or familiarity of his expressions, than by any colorful or complicated diction.
Example sentencesExamples
- Opera however is an old means for achieving togetherness that overcomes commonplaceness and produces happiness.
- He looks around for secret doors, mystery, is taken aback by the commonplaceness of the room and the men in it, thinks he may have gotten in the wrong place, then sees the signboard on the wall and is reassured.
- It simply exists in an inoffensive and unexciting realm of commonplaceness that makes it incapable of standing out among the pack of infinitely better racers available for any of its chosen platforms.
- Written in short lengths for newspaper serialization, the autobiography is not a literary masterpiece, but it is the more impressive because of the commonplaceness of much of its material.

Origin

Mid 16th century (originally common place): translation of Latin locus communis, rendering Greek koinos topos 'general theme'.

This was originally written common place, a translation of Latin locus communis, rendering Greek koinos topos ‘general theme’, terms for a passage on which a speaker could base an argument. In the past people would keep commonplace books of such passages, and the quoting of these no doubt led to the modern sense of the word. Topic (Late Middle English) was originally a word for a set or book of general rules or ideas. It comes from Latin topica, from Greek ta topika, meaning literally ‘matters concerning commonplaces’ (the title of a treatise by Aristotle). Early use was as a term in logic and rhetoric describing a rule or argument as ‘applicable in most but not all cases’. See also utopia. Common itself (Middle English) comes via French from Latin communis ‘common, general’ also the source of commune (late 17th century), communism (mid 19th century), communication, communion, and community [all LME].

Definition of commonplace in US English:

commonplace

adjectiveˈkämənˌplāsˈkɑmənˌpleɪs

1Not unusual; ordinary.
平常的；平凡的，普通的
unemployment was commonplace in his profession
在他的行业里，失业是很平常的。
Example sentencesExamples
- He advocated that literature should record the writer's affectionate response to ordinary phenomena and commonplace happenings.
- The talent of the comic is to make commonplace events remarkable.
- It would only be a matter of time before electronic devices became commonplace objects in the classroom.
- Human rights violations are not some sort of other worldly event, they are sometimes very commonplace.
- The loss of a job - a sadly commonplace event in today's turbulent economic climate - is not just a blow to the wallet, but a severe hit to the psyche.
- He soon discovered that death was a commonplace event.
- None of the others had noticed the little scene; it was an event too commonplace to mark.
- The most commonplace events are also opportunities, life-determining choices made or not made.
- He insists that what he is doing is to configure the commonplace issues of ordinary life.
- The survey showed committees were far more commonplace where trade unions had representation.
- Like it or not, sponsorship deals between companies and the athletic teams are very commonplace not only in the world of pro sports but at SFU as well.
- Using a computer is becoming more commonplace and sometimes is an absolute necessity for your child to complete his homework assignments.
- An everyday tale of a commonplace ballet company!
- A vandalised car, all but ignored by passers-by, reflects how commonplace minor crime has become in small towns.
- In Rome, assassination would have been a relatively commonplace event; especially for people of the higher class.
- A commonplace event, one would assume on a hot day.
- With all these commonplace conventions, what is it that makes the file outstanding?
- It is also, we must never forget, made from joy and the celebration of simple and ordinary and commonplace things and events.
- This is Realism at its most powerful, turning a commonplace event into an historical one.
- This is perfectly possible for even an ordinary club level sailor - it is quite commonplace not to have to qualify for an event.
Synonyms
ordinary, run-of-the-mill, middle-of-the-road, mainstream, unremarkable, unexceptional, undistinguished, uninspired, unexciting, unmemorable, forgettable, indifferent, average, so-so, mediocre, pedestrian, prosaic, lacklustre, dull, bland, uninteresting, mundane, everyday, quotidian, humdrum, hackneyed, trite, banal, clichéd, predictable, overused, overdone, overworked, stale, worn out, time-worn, tired, unoriginal, derivative
common, normal, usual, ordinary, familiar, routine, standard, everyday, day-to-day, daily, regular, frequent, habitual, conventional, typical, unexceptional, unremarkable
1. 1.1 Not interesting or original; trite.
  平淡无味的；无创见的；平庸的；陈腐的
  the usual commonplace remarks
  老生常谈。
  Example sentencesExamples
  After a few more exceedingly commonplace remarks of the same character, she gave me to write down a list of drugs that were to be taken.
  These types of self-congratulatory remarks are commonplace and formulaic.
  Partly to reinforce the commonplace argument that there will always be a special cultural relationship between Scotland and England and that independence would not disrupt that.
  This approach in Chinese cinema, however, was entirely absent from the films screened in Sydney, which were bland and artistically commonplace works.
  Our visitor bore every mark of being an average commonplace British tradesman, obese, pompous, and slow.
  It had been fed to us for a long time, and therefore, we looked at it as a tedious and commonplace state of things.
  The seemingly forward question sounded very trite and commonplace in the blunt honest tone she used.
  If you think buffets are commonplace and boring, just try the beverage buffet.
  Yet measles, malnutrition and diarrhoea remain tediously commonplace causes of death in all too many parts of it in the first years of the twenty-first century.
  The commonplace pessimistic argument points out that since low interest rates have been good for the economy, higher interest rates will be bad.
  So much more interesting than the flat, filmed performances with irritating cutting that are now commonplace.
  Peace would be all too commonplace and boring, not to mention that it couldn't possibly involve the kind of firepower you're accustomed to.
  In a word, Liz will be quite a commonplace, average girl of the lower working-class…
  He is never dull and even his more commonplace chapters are enlivened with fascinating detail or asides.
  Now 60 years on, the process has been repeated, but reversed, as the commonplace colour of modern films returns to nostalgic black and white.
  Synonyms
  unexciting, boring, dull, tiresome, wearisome, tedious, dreary, tiring, flat, lifeless, monotonous, humdrum, uneventful, slow, unvaried, repetitious, colourless, bland, insipid, banal, dry, pedestrian, prosaic, hackneyed, trite, clichéd, stale

nounˈkämənˌplāsˈkɑmənˌpleɪs

1A usual or ordinary thing.
寻常的事物；普通的事物
bombing has become almost a commonplace of public life there
在那里，轰炸几乎已经成为公众生活中的一件平常事了。
Example sentencesExamples
- Then he makes a characteristic move: you see how he is able to invest the ordinary, the commonplace, with mystery.
- Answer: This is a commonplace at a badly run lab.
- It has become a commonplace for playwrights to require actors to play several different parts, and at times a mere two actors is all that is needed to portray several dozen characters.
- Dixon is the kind of ordinary hero who had become a commonplace of Ealing films during the war period.
- The point is only driven home by seeing something that has become a commonplace represented as something surprising.
- It used to be a commonplace that activities aimed at uncovering truth and knowledge set about the relatively simple tasks of making observations and recording results.
- I thought they approved of that sort of thing - indeed, they want such scenes to be a commonplace in Her Majesty's Forces.
- The novelty of the new popular poetry is not its mass appeal; that was a commonplace in American culture in the late nineteenth century.
- The argument is in fact a commonplace of political science.
- It is a commonplace in the West that governments should be as democratic as possible.
- Whatever you are looking for we have it in the collection, from the endangered to the commonplace.
- It's also one that mentions God as a source of inspiration: something that is rarely mentioned so plainly elsewhere but is a commonplace in country songs.
- Tales of the commonplace, stories about the small things that make up our daily existence, can be fascinating.
- This is a commonplace of life in the poorest neighbourhood in Vancouver.
- It had been a historical commonplace to view the long interval between Archimedes and Galileo as a period of unrelieved ignorance and superstition.
- Matches between female boxers have become a commonplace - if not widely accepted - part of the sport.
- His poetry and fiction celebrates the ordinary and commonplace, striving for a transformation that might well be magical.
- The latter, a commonplace in the West, is a new concept for the Japanese.
- And before the vote it had been a commonplace to say that it was the most important election of our lifetimes.
- It is a commonplace in Germany that elections are decided by the middle.
Synonyms
everyday event, everyday thing
1. 1.1 A trite saying or topic; a platitude.
  老生常谈；陈词滥调
  it is a commonplace to talk of the young being alienated
  谈论年轻人移情别恋已是老生常谈。
  Example sentencesExamples
  It has become a commonplace to say of biographies of Plath that they take sides.
  So instead politicians almost uniformly retreat to the safety of the platitude and commonplace.
  And what is perhaps the most troubling feature of her writing is her tendency to use commonplaces and cliches and undefined terms as if their meaning were indisputable and clear.
  It's always good to have critical commonplaces questioned, even if you end up reaffirming them.
  My only knowledge of francophone Caribbean literature consisted of a few commonplaces and catchphrases.
  Alas, its open expression is now a commonplace.
  Sontag acknowledges that she is stating a commonplace when she notes the ‘erotic lure [of] things that are vile and repulsive’.
  The final pages are full of journalistic commonplaces - ‘Western-style consumerism is unsustainable on a global scale’.
  Synonyms
  platitude, cliché, truism, banal saying, hackneyed saying, overworked saying, trite saying, stock phrase, old chestnut, banality, bromide
2A notable quotation copied into a commonplace book.
备忘札记；摘录

Origin

Mid 16th century (originally common place): translation of Latin locus communis, rendering Greek koinos topos ‘general theme’.

词汇	commonplace
释义	Definition of commonplace in English: commonplace adjectiveˈkɒmənpleɪsˈkɑmənˌpleɪs 1Not unusual; ordinary. 平常的；平凡的，普通的 unemployment was commonplace in his trade 在他的行业里，失业是很平常的。 Example sentencesExamples With all these commonplace conventions, what is it that makes the file outstanding? This is perfectly possible for even an ordinary club level sailor - it is quite commonplace not to have to qualify for an event. The survey showed committees were far more commonplace where trade unions had representation. Using a computer is becoming more commonplace and sometimes is an absolute necessity for your child to complete his homework assignments. The talent of the comic is to make commonplace events remarkable. A commonplace event, one would assume on a hot day. None of the others had noticed the little scene; it was an event too commonplace to mark. He insists that what he is doing is to configure the commonplace issues of ordinary life. This is Realism at its most powerful, turning a commonplace event into an historical one. A vandalised car, all but ignored by passers-by, reflects how commonplace minor crime has become in small towns. Human rights violations are not some sort of other worldly event, they are sometimes very commonplace. He advocated that literature should record the writer's affectionate response to ordinary phenomena and commonplace happenings. In Rome, assassination would have been a relatively commonplace event; especially for people of the higher class. It would only be a matter of time before electronic devices became commonplace objects in the classroom. He soon discovered that death was a commonplace event. The loss of a job - a sadly commonplace event in today's turbulent economic climate - is not just a blow to the wallet, but a severe hit to the psyche. Like it or not, sponsorship deals between companies and the athletic teams are very commonplace not only in the world of pro sports but at SFU as well. An everyday tale of a commonplace ballet company! The most commonplace events are also opportunities, life-determining choices made or not made. It is also, we must never forget, made from joy and the celebration of simple and ordinary and commonplace things and events. Synonyms ordinary, run-of-the-mill, middle-of-the-road, mainstream, unremarkable, unexceptional, undistinguished, uninspired, unexciting, unmemorable, forgettable, indifferent, average, so-so, mediocre, pedestrian, prosaic, lacklustre, dull, bland, uninteresting, mundane, everyday, quotidian, humdrum, hackneyed, trite, banal, clichéd, predictable, overused, overdone, overworked, stale, worn out, time-worn, tired, unoriginal, derivative British common or garden North American garden variety informal nothing to write home about, nothing to get excited about, no great shakes, not so hot, not up to much, vanilla, plain vanilla, bog-standard, a dime a dozen, old hat, corny, played out, hacky British informal not much cop, ten a penny North American informal ornery, bush-league, cornball, dime-store Australian/New Zealand informal half-pie common, normal, usual, ordinary, familiar, routine, standard, everyday, day-to-day, daily, regular, frequent, habitual, conventional, typical, unexceptional, unremarkable 1.1 Not interesting or original; trite. 平淡无味的；无创见的；平庸的；陈腐的 the usual commonplace remarks 老生常谈。 Example sentencesExamples Partly to reinforce the commonplace argument that there will always be a special cultural relationship between Scotland and England and that independence would not disrupt that. This approach in Chinese cinema, however, was entirely absent from the films screened in Sydney, which were bland and artistically commonplace works. Yet measles, malnutrition and diarrhoea remain tediously commonplace causes of death in all too many parts of it in the first years of the twenty-first century. Our visitor bore every mark of being an average commonplace British tradesman, obese, pompous, and slow. The commonplace pessimistic argument points out that since low interest rates have been good for the economy, higher interest rates will be bad. It had been fed to us for a long time, and therefore, we looked at it as a tedious and commonplace state of things. In a word, Liz will be quite a commonplace, average girl of the lower working-class… Now 60 years on, the process has been repeated, but reversed, as the commonplace colour of modern films returns to nostalgic black and white. After a few more exceedingly commonplace remarks of the same character, she gave me to write down a list of drugs that were to be taken. If you think buffets are commonplace and boring, just try the beverage buffet. He is never dull and even his more commonplace chapters are enlivened with fascinating detail or asides. These types of self-congratulatory remarks are commonplace and formulaic. So much more interesting than the flat, filmed performances with irritating cutting that are now commonplace. Peace would be all too commonplace and boring, not to mention that it couldn't possibly involve the kind of firepower you're accustomed to. The seemingly forward question sounded very trite and commonplace in the blunt honest tone she used. Synonyms unexciting, boring, dull, tiresome, wearisome, tedious, dreary, tiring, flat, lifeless, monotonous, humdrum, uneventful, slow, unvaried, repetitious, colourless, bland, insipid, banal, dry, pedestrian, prosaic, hackneyed, trite, clichéd, stale nounˈkɒmənpleɪsˈkɑmənˌpleɪs 1A usual or ordinary thing. 寻常的事物；普通的事物 bombing has become almost a commonplace of public life there 在那里，轰炸几乎已经成为公众生活中的一件平常事了。 Example sentencesExamples The point is only driven home by seeing something that has become a commonplace represented as something surprising. The latter, a commonplace in the West, is a new concept for the Japanese. Whatever you are looking for we have it in the collection, from the endangered to the commonplace. It's also one that mentions God as a source of inspiration: something that is rarely mentioned so plainly elsewhere but is a commonplace in country songs. It has become a commonplace for playwrights to require actors to play several different parts, and at times a mere two actors is all that is needed to portray several dozen characters. His poetry and fiction celebrates the ordinary and commonplace, striving for a transformation that might well be magical. I thought they approved of that sort of thing - indeed, they want such scenes to be a commonplace in Her Majesty's Forces. It is a commonplace in Germany that elections are decided by the middle. It used to be a commonplace that activities aimed at uncovering truth and knowledge set about the relatively simple tasks of making observations and recording results. It had been a historical commonplace to view the long interval between Archimedes and Galileo as a period of unrelieved ignorance and superstition. It is a commonplace in the West that governments should be as democratic as possible. Then he makes a characteristic move: you see how he is able to invest the ordinary, the commonplace, with mystery. This is a commonplace of life in the poorest neighbourhood in Vancouver. The novelty of the new popular poetry is not its mass appeal; that was a commonplace in American culture in the late nineteenth century. The argument is in fact a commonplace of political science. And before the vote it had been a commonplace to say that it was the most important election of our lifetimes. Answer: This is a commonplace at a badly run lab. Dixon is the kind of ordinary hero who had become a commonplace of Ealing films during the war period. Matches between female boxers have become a commonplace - if not widely accepted - part of the sport. Tales of the commonplace, stories about the small things that make up our daily existence, can be fascinating. Synonyms everyday thing/event routine, nothing out of the ordinary 1.1 A trite saying or topic; a platitude. 老生常谈；陈词滥调 it is a commonplace to talk of the young being alienated 谈论年轻人移情别恋已是老生常谈。 Example sentencesExamples Alas, its open expression is now a commonplace. So instead politicians almost uniformly retreat to the safety of the platitude and commonplace. My only knowledge of francophone Caribbean literature consisted of a few commonplaces and catchphrases. The final pages are full of journalistic commonplaces - ‘Western-style consumerism is unsustainable on a global scale’. And what is perhaps the most troubling feature of her writing is her tendency to use commonplaces and cliches and undefined terms as if their meaning were indisputable and clear. It has become a commonplace to say of biographies of Plath that they take sides. Sontag acknowledges that she is stating a commonplace when she notes the ‘erotic lure [of] things that are vile and repulsive’. It's always good to have critical commonplaces questioned, even if you end up reaffirming them. Synonyms platitude, cliché, truism, hackneyed/trite/banal/overworked saying, stock phrase, old chestnut, banality, bromide 2A notable passage in a work copied into a commonplace book. 备忘札记；摘录 Derivatives commonplaceness nounˈkɒmənpleɪsnəsˈkɑmənˌpleɪsnəs In fact, one is more likely to be struck by the absence of literary devices in Beckett's sentences, by the commonplaceness or familiarity of his expressions, than by any colorful or complicated diction. Example sentencesExamples Opera however is an old means for achieving togetherness that overcomes commonplaceness and produces happiness. He looks around for secret doors, mystery, is taken aback by the commonplaceness of the room and the men in it, thinks he may have gotten in the wrong place, then sees the signboard on the wall and is reassured. It simply exists in an inoffensive and unexciting realm of commonplaceness that makes it incapable of standing out among the pack of infinitely better racers available for any of its chosen platforms. Written in short lengths for newspaper serialization, the autobiography is not a literary masterpiece, but it is the more impressive because of the commonplaceness of much of its material. Origin Mid 16th century (originally common place): translation of Latin locus communis, rendering Greek koinos topos 'general theme'. This was originally written common place, a translation of Latin locus communis, rendering Greek koinos topos ‘general theme’, terms for a passage on which a speaker could base an argument. In the past people would keep commonplace books of such passages, and the quoting of these no doubt led to the modern sense of the word. Topic (Late Middle English) was originally a word for a set or book of general rules or ideas. It comes from Latin topica, from Greek ta topika, meaning literally ‘matters concerning commonplaces’ (the title of a treatise by Aristotle). Early use was as a term in logic and rhetoric describing a rule or argument as ‘applicable in most but not all cases’. See also utopia. Common itself (Middle English) comes via French from Latin communis ‘common, general’ also the source of commune (late 17th century), communism (mid 19th century), communication, communion, and community [all LME]. Definition of commonplace in US English: commonplace adjectiveˈkämənˌplāsˈkɑmənˌpleɪs 1Not unusual; ordinary. 平常的；平凡的，普通的 unemployment was commonplace in his profession 在他的行业里，失业是很平常的。 Example sentencesExamples He advocated that literature should record the writer's affectionate response to ordinary phenomena and commonplace happenings. The talent of the comic is to make commonplace events remarkable. It would only be a matter of time before electronic devices became commonplace objects in the classroom. Human rights violations are not some sort of other worldly event, they are sometimes very commonplace. The loss of a job - a sadly commonplace event in today's turbulent economic climate - is not just a blow to the wallet, but a severe hit to the psyche. He soon discovered that death was a commonplace event. None of the others had noticed the little scene; it was an event too commonplace to mark. The most commonplace events are also opportunities, life-determining choices made or not made. He insists that what he is doing is to configure the commonplace issues of ordinary life. The survey showed committees were far more commonplace where trade unions had representation. Like it or not, sponsorship deals between companies and the athletic teams are very commonplace not only in the world of pro sports but at SFU as well. Using a computer is becoming more commonplace and sometimes is an absolute necessity for your child to complete his homework assignments. An everyday tale of a commonplace ballet company! A vandalised car, all but ignored by passers-by, reflects how commonplace minor crime has become in small towns. In Rome, assassination would have been a relatively commonplace event; especially for people of the higher class. A commonplace event, one would assume on a hot day. With all these commonplace conventions, what is it that makes the file outstanding? It is also, we must never forget, made from joy and the celebration of simple and ordinary and commonplace things and events. This is Realism at its most powerful, turning a commonplace event into an historical one. This is perfectly possible for even an ordinary club level sailor - it is quite commonplace not to have to qualify for an event. Synonyms ordinary, run-of-the-mill, middle-of-the-road, mainstream, unremarkable, unexceptional, undistinguished, uninspired, unexciting, unmemorable, forgettable, indifferent, average, so-so, mediocre, pedestrian, prosaic, lacklustre, dull, bland, uninteresting, mundane, everyday, quotidian, humdrum, hackneyed, trite, banal, clichéd, predictable, overused, overdone, overworked, stale, worn out, time-worn, tired, unoriginal, derivative common, normal, usual, ordinary, familiar, routine, standard, everyday, day-to-day, daily, regular, frequent, habitual, conventional, typical, unexceptional, unremarkable 1.1 Not interesting or original; trite. 平淡无味的；无创见的；平庸的；陈腐的 the usual commonplace remarks 老生常谈。 Example sentencesExamples After a few more exceedingly commonplace remarks of the same character, she gave me to write down a list of drugs that were to be taken. These types of self-congratulatory remarks are commonplace and formulaic. Partly to reinforce the commonplace argument that there will always be a special cultural relationship between Scotland and England and that independence would not disrupt that. This approach in Chinese cinema, however, was entirely absent from the films screened in Sydney, which were bland and artistically commonplace works. Our visitor bore every mark of being an average commonplace British tradesman, obese, pompous, and slow. It had been fed to us for a long time, and therefore, we looked at it as a tedious and commonplace state of things. The seemingly forward question sounded very trite and commonplace in the blunt honest tone she used. If you think buffets are commonplace and boring, just try the beverage buffet. Yet measles, malnutrition and diarrhoea remain tediously commonplace causes of death in all too many parts of it in the first years of the twenty-first century. The commonplace pessimistic argument points out that since low interest rates have been good for the economy, higher interest rates will be bad. So much more interesting than the flat, filmed performances with irritating cutting that are now commonplace. Peace would be all too commonplace and boring, not to mention that it couldn't possibly involve the kind of firepower you're accustomed to. In a word, Liz will be quite a commonplace, average girl of the lower working-class… He is never dull and even his more commonplace chapters are enlivened with fascinating detail or asides. Now 60 years on, the process has been repeated, but reversed, as the commonplace colour of modern films returns to nostalgic black and white. Synonyms unexciting, boring, dull, tiresome, wearisome, tedious, dreary, tiring, flat, lifeless, monotonous, humdrum, uneventful, slow, unvaried, repetitious, colourless, bland, insipid, banal, dry, pedestrian, prosaic, hackneyed, trite, clichéd, stale nounˈkämənˌplāsˈkɑmənˌpleɪs 1A usual or ordinary thing. 寻常的事物；普通的事物 bombing has become almost a commonplace of public life there 在那里，轰炸几乎已经成为公众生活中的一件平常事了。 Example sentencesExamples Then he makes a characteristic move: you see how he is able to invest the ordinary, the commonplace, with mystery. Answer: This is a commonplace at a badly run lab. It has become a commonplace for playwrights to require actors to play several different parts, and at times a mere two actors is all that is needed to portray several dozen characters. Dixon is the kind of ordinary hero who had become a commonplace of Ealing films during the war period. The point is only driven home by seeing something that has become a commonplace represented as something surprising. It used to be a commonplace that activities aimed at uncovering truth and knowledge set about the relatively simple tasks of making observations and recording results. I thought they approved of that sort of thing - indeed, they want such scenes to be a commonplace in Her Majesty's Forces. The novelty of the new popular poetry is not its mass appeal; that was a commonplace in American culture in the late nineteenth century. The argument is in fact a commonplace of political science. It is a commonplace in the West that governments should be as democratic as possible. Whatever you are looking for we have it in the collection, from the endangered to the commonplace. It's also one that mentions God as a source of inspiration: something that is rarely mentioned so plainly elsewhere but is a commonplace in country songs. Tales of the commonplace, stories about the small things that make up our daily existence, can be fascinating. This is a commonplace of life in the poorest neighbourhood in Vancouver. It had been a historical commonplace to view the long interval between Archimedes and Galileo as a period of unrelieved ignorance and superstition. Matches between female boxers have become a commonplace - if not widely accepted - part of the sport. His poetry and fiction celebrates the ordinary and commonplace, striving for a transformation that might well be magical. The latter, a commonplace in the West, is a new concept for the Japanese. And before the vote it had been a commonplace to say that it was the most important election of our lifetimes. It is a commonplace in Germany that elections are decided by the middle. Synonyms everyday event, everyday thing 1.1 A trite saying or topic; a platitude. 老生常谈；陈词滥调 it is a commonplace to talk of the young being alienated 谈论年轻人移情别恋已是老生常谈。 Example sentencesExamples It has become a commonplace to say of biographies of Plath that they take sides. So instead politicians almost uniformly retreat to the safety of the platitude and commonplace. And what is perhaps the most troubling feature of her writing is her tendency to use commonplaces and cliches and undefined terms as if their meaning were indisputable and clear. It's always good to have critical commonplaces questioned, even if you end up reaffirming them. My only knowledge of francophone Caribbean literature consisted of a few commonplaces and catchphrases. Alas, its open expression is now a commonplace. Sontag acknowledges that she is stating a commonplace when she notes the ‘erotic lure [of] things that are vile and repulsive’. The final pages are full of journalistic commonplaces - ‘Western-style consumerism is unsustainable on a global scale’. Synonyms platitude, cliché, truism, banal saying, hackneyed saying, overworked saying, trite saying, stock phrase, old chestnut, banality, bromide 2A notable quotation copied into a commonplace book. 备忘札记；摘录 Origin Mid 16th century (originally common place): translation of Latin locus communis, rendering Greek koinos topos ‘general theme’.
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