commonplace meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

commonplace

adj

US /ˈkɑmənˌpleɪs/ · UK /ˈkɒmənˌpleɪs/

Etymology A calque of Latin locus commūnis, referring to a generally applicable literary passage, itself a calque of Ancient Greek κοινὸς τόπος (koinòs tópos).

Ordinary; not having any remarkable characteristics.

"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:

3 more examples

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:

Derived terms: commonplaceism, commonplacely, commonplaceness, commonplacer, uncommonplace

commonplace

noun

Etymology A calque of Latin locus commūnis, referring to a generally applicable literary passage, itself a calque of Ancient Greek κοινὸς τόπος (koinòs tópos).

A platitude or cliché.

Finally he began to mutter some commonplaces which meant nothing particularly.1899, Stephen Crane, chapter 17, in Active Service:
And something angered Tamara in the way the Prince assisted in all this, out-commonplacing her friend in commonplaces with the suavest politeness.1910, Elinor Glyn, chapter 4, in His Hour:

Something that is ordinary; something commonly done or occurring.

It is odd how easily the common-places of morality or of sentiment glide off in conversation. Well, they are "exceedingly helpful," and so Lord Avonleigh found them.1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 137:
"MY dear fellow," said Sherlock Holmes, as we sat on either side of the fire in his lodgings at Baker-street, "life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence.[…]"1891 [September], A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Adventure III.—A Case of Identity.”, in Geo[rge] Newnes, editor, The Strand Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly, volume II (July to December), number [9], London: […], page 248, column 1:

3 more examples

And, placed discreetly among these commonplaces, a few pieces of genuine quality, bizarrely distinguished by craftsmanship from the vulgar products of the machine.1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 150:
The smallest commonplace of domestic life, so amiable to the healthy mind, lacerates like a blade.1988 December 19, William Styron, “Why Primo Levi Need Not Have Died”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Collecting data via transects is a commonplace in biology[.]2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 4:

A memorandum; something to be frequently consulted or referred to.

Whatever, in my reading, occurs concerning this our fellow creature, I do never fail to set it down by way of common-place.1710, Jonathan Swift, A Discourse concerning the Mechanical Operation of the Spirit:

A commonplace book.

commonplace

verb

Etymology A calque of Latin locus commūnis, referring to a generally applicable literary passage, itself a calque of Ancient Greek κοινὸς τόπος (koinòs tópos).

To make a commonplace book.

To enter in a commonplace book, or to reduce to general heads.

I do not apprehend any difficulty in collecting and commonplacing an universal history from the […]historians.1711, Henry Felton, Dissertation on Reading the Classics:

Obsolete To utter commonplaces; to indulge in platitudes.

And something angered Tamara in the way the Prince assisted in all this, out-commonplacing her friend in commonplaces with the suavest politeness.1910, Elinor Glyn, chapter 4, in His Hour:
c. January 1620, Francis Bacon, letter to the King For the good that comes of particular and select committees and commissions, I need not commonplace.

Related terms: commonplace book

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.