banal
21
7.2
- adjective
- /bəˈnæl/
- His comments during the discussion were so banal that no one felt inspired to respond.
- banal nationalism
- banal observation
- even more banal
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeSo look how trivial and banal that example is.
- So look how trivial and banal that example is.
- And no gesture right now can be banal or simple.
- And then you go to a supermarket, the most banal place on Earth.
- As for Emma Bailey, her record was more banal.
- And it sounds really trite, like most of these truths, they sound kind of banal.
- So it's it's both horrifically, tragically inhumane and utterly banal.
- And this line of analysis, I think, leads us to a utterly predictable and maybe banal and surely boring conclusion.
- Anything that's unusual or unexpected, differentially requires your attention much more than something that's banal and common.
- Words without music, moving through the motions, doing the errand, listening to the banal conversation where they ask you nothing about yourself.
Examples
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One of the most banal scenes is suddenly invested with so much meaning, you know?
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And then you go to a supermarket, the most banal place on Earth.
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No, no, this is that woman who only knows how to be banal, right?
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I could be banal, play the game and have a lot of women, try to be happy.
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Very beautiful, but rather banal.
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Or was there a more banal reason; had we somehow picked a bad day for bird watching?
Academic text (1991) -
I'm like, this is such a banal subject.
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Already, the whole idea seems banal to me, not worthy of further effort.
Fiction book (1994) -
I mean, they were just, it was a banal trip through a banal suburb.
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Their materials were banal and unremarkable, and their craft, while careful and precise, was nothing more than deliberate movements through space.
Synonyms
248
4.4
An idea or phrase used so often that it feels boring
80
5.8
Not original and trying to be touching but it feels silly
78
4.4
Boring and repetitive, making you feel mentally tired
62
3.3
Something that is common and not special
47
3.4
Ordinary and not special or new
37
3.1
Not new or interesting because of repetition
26
6.6
Not new or interesting because it is used too often
18
5.3
Something that is boring because it has no variety
16
6.2
Not showing new ideas or creative thinking
13
4.8
Made in a simple, predictable way so many things look the same
9
5.4
Not new because people use it too often and it is easy to guess
8
7.9
Ordinary and dull without imagination or excitement
7
7.6
No longer original or interesting because people use it so often
7
3.4
Not new or creative like ideas you have heard before
6
5.1
Showing the same thing again and again in a boring way
5
4.6
A phrase or idea used so often that it is no longer interesting
2
7.0
Makes you feel tired or bored because it is repetitive
1
6.4
An idea or phrase used so often that it is no longer interesting
1
4.7
A phrase or idea used so often that it no longer seems new
1
7.9
Not interesting because people use it too often
1
7.4
Used so often it feels like a boring idea
1
9.9
Full of old or obvious ideas that seem important
1
6.8
No longer new or fashionable
1
9.9
Boring because it uses words or ideas people hear many times
1
6.8
Causes people to lose interest because it is dull
1
8.6
Not new or creative
1
9.9
Not original, dull and trying to seem important
Antonyms
How Original
Surface Forms
Etymology
Banal comes from an old French word meaning 'common to everyone', from ban which was a public rule or order that applied to all. So banal literally meant 'ordinary', and that's why today we call ideas or stories 'banal' when they are dull because they are not new.