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common

common

182 5.7
Low quality and often rude in style
  • adjective
  • /ˈkɑːmən/
  • Offensive
translation icon : vulgar
  • It's all too common out there.
  • lowest common denominator

Like I can wear my Rollie by the pool when I'm in Ibiza because I sound common.

Examples

  • His attitude was so common that it did not impress anyone at the high-end restaurant.

  • She has a common manner of speaking that many find off-putting in formal situations.

  • I mean, we just pushed past the point of common sense.

  • The man was little more than a common criminal, and a boorish one at that.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • In this context of industrialization, class conflict was a common characteristic of European society.

    Academic text (2008)
  • No lady should walk past the barbershop where common men sat and gossiped on the benches outside.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The film was criticized for its common themes and lack of originality.

Synonyms

vulgar
vscommon
52 6.1

Showing little good taste or refinement in style

is more about everyday status and low value than deliberate shock
crude
vscommon
  • Offensive
45 5.1

Being rude and offensive, often about sex

is more general, meaning low value or lack of refinement without offense
coarse
vscommon
26 3.7

A surface like sand or rough cloth that has large grains and is not smooth

is about social lack of refinement and poor taste rather than texture
uncouth
vscommon
  • Offensive
10 8.4

Not polite or well behaved in a rough way

is broader, indicating low quality and everyday status instead of rudeness
plebeian
vscommon
3 7.9

Typical of ordinary people rather than the rich or powerful

focuses on low quality and lack of refinement rather than social class alone
rough-cut
vscommon
6.8

Not polished in style or manners

is used more widely to mean low quality and lack of finesse

Antonyms

279 6.8

A machine or system with many advanced parts and careful design

165 3.3

Having an attractive, stylish look that shows good taste

refined
  • Formal
4 4.1

Showing elegant, polite manners and good taste

Idioms

450 1.0

Something that people, groups, or things share

Is similar to other people or things

Compounds

244 1.8

The ability to make good decisions in everyday life

76 3.2

Shared ideas or interests that help people agree and work together

30 2.0

An ordinary man without a title, rank, or special rights

common good
  • Formal
27 3.5

A benefit that helps all people in a community

Things most people understand and accept without proof

common law
  • Specialized
19 3.8

A system where judges use past court decisions and customs rather than written laws

17 1.1

A mild virus infection of the nose and throat that causes a runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat

16 1.3

People who are not rich or powerful

12 2.3

A room at a school or university where people relax, talk, and study together

A quality that all members of a group share

8 4.0

Shares that give part ownership of a company and usually voting rights

A question many people ask

Common Market
  • Archaic
4 3.7

A group of European countries that removed limits on trade and worked together economically

4 1.0

Something often seen in a place or situation

A sign or feeling that many people with an illness have

common shares
  • Canadian
3 3.8

A part of a company you can buy that gives part of the profit and the right to vote

A thing many people in a group accept or value

2 4.6

A way of connecting with ordinary people that makes them feel understood

common-law marriage
  • Specialized
2 4.3

A relationship the law accepts when a couple live together and behave as if married

common bile duct
  • Specialized
2 3.7

A tube that carries bile from the liver and gallbladder to the small intestine

A person who has no title and is an ordinary member of society

A person in the army or marines with the lowest rank

1 7.8

An official service book used in Church of England worship with formal and beautiful language

common carotid
  • Specialized
1 3.0

A large blood vessel on each side of the neck that carries blood to the head and neck

common factor
  • Specialized
1 2.7

A number that divides two or more numbers exactly

common denominator
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A number that is a common multiple of the bottom numbers of two fractions for adding or comparing them

1 1.3

A year with 365 days and no extra day in February

common carotid artery
  • Specialized
1 3.3

A large blood vessel on each side of the neck that carries blood to the head and brain

1 3.7

A person or company that carries people and goods for the public and must pay for any loss and damage

A harmless North American snake that has stripes and often lives in gardens

1 4.6

The years of history starting at year one of the calendar now used in many countries

common fate
  • Specialized
1 8.1

Objects that move the same way are seen as one group

common iliac artery
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A large blood vessel from the main vessel in the belly that sends blood to the hips and legs

common meter
  • Literature
1 8.5

A four-line poem pattern with alternating long and short lines used in hymns and ballads

1 3.5

Land that local people can use, often to graze animals

1 8.4

A large black and white seabird that nests on cliffs and dives for fish

common time
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A beat pattern in music with four beats in each bar, often shown as C

7.5

A small snake with a dark zigzag back and poison in its bite that lives in northern Europe and Asia

common wallaby
  • Australian
4.8

A small animal that hops like a kangaroo and lives in Australia

A small rough growth on the skin caused by a virus, often on the hands

2.4

A small flying insect with black and yellow stripes that makes nests near houses and can sting

A snake that is not venomous and lives near fresh water in the western United States

A leafy plant that grows in water with a peppery taste, often used in salads

3.9

A situation where people understand each other and agree

A grain plant that people grow widely for flour used in bread and pasta

A small tree with large white or pink flowers and red berries

A holly shrub that loses its leaves in autumn and has bright red berries through winter

A very small water plant from the Americas that is the smallest flowering plant

A small forest plant with three heart-shaped leaves and white flowers with purple veins

A plant with a strong smell and bitter leaves used to make the drink absinthe

A small bird with a bright yellow throat found in wet places like marshes

common yellowwood
  • South African
8.6

A medium tree from South Africa that has yellow wood and people use for furniture and gardens

common zebra
  • South African
2.3

A large wild animal like a horse with black and white stripes that lives in African grasslands

Ordinary and not special

A small herb with green leaves used to add flavor to food

A climbing or bushy vegetable that produces edible beans

A low evergreen plant with small white flowers and red berries found in northern regions

A plant that grows beans people cook and eat

A large European tree with smooth grey bark and bright autumn leaves that people plant for shade in parks

A plant with a large root that people grow and eat

3.8

A tree with silvery white bark that peels in thin papery layers and drooping branches

A small European tree with clusters of sweet-smelling white flowers and black fruit eaten by birds

A small dark whale that lives off the Atlantic coast in groups led by a large male

An evergreen shrub that grows in northern bogs with pink or white bell-shaped flowers

A small insect that lives in damp indoor places and eats mold and book glue

6.3

A small evergreen bush with dense leaves often used for hedges and garden shapes

A small dark bird that lives on northern coasts and eats sea plants

5.5

A shrub from western Europe with bright yellow flowers grown in gardens

A large wild plant with broad leaves and seed burrs that stick to animal fur

A wild plant with bright yellow cup-shaped flowers

A small garden plant with fluffy blue or lavender flowers

5.2

A medium-sized tree that grows near rivers with small woody cones and leaves hairy underneath

common allamanda
  • Australian
7.9

A fast-growing climbing plant from South America with shiny leaves and yellow flowers

How Refined

elegant
165 3.3
refined
  • Formal
4 4.1
common
  • Offensive
182 5.7
crude
  • Offensive
45 5.1

Surface Forms

common positive
commoner comparative
commonest superlative

Etymology

Common used to mean 'low' or 'vulgar' comes from its link to the 'common people', from Latin communis 'shared', used in words like community. So calling something common in this way means it is typical of ordinary people and not seen as high-class.