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common

common

81 5.7
Low quality and often rude in style
  • adjective
  • /ˈkɑːmən/
  • Offensive
: 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

crude
vscommon
  • Offensive
52 5.1

Being rude and offensive, often about sex

is more general, meaning low value or lack of refinement without offense
coarse
vscommon
29 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
vulgar
vscommon
25 6.1

Showing little good taste or refinement in style

is more about everyday status and low value than deliberate shock
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
2 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
1 6.8

Not polished in style or manners

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

Antonyms

238 6.8

A machine or system with many advanced parts and careful design

163 3.3

Having an attractive, stylish look that shows good taste

refined
  • Formal
25 4.1

Showing elegant, polite manners and good taste

Idioms

475 1.0

Something that people, groups, or things share

Is similar to other people or things

Compounds

257 1.8

The ability to make good decisions in everyday life

81 3.2

Shared ideas or interests that help people agree and work together

34 2.0

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

A quality that all members of a group share

common good
  • Formal
31 3.5

A benefit that helps all people in a community

Things most people understand and accept without proof

20 1.3

People who are not rich or powerful

common law
  • Specialized
19 3.8

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

19 1.1

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

14 2.3

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

A question many people ask

8 4.0

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

A sign or feeling that many people with an illness have

Common Market
  • Archaic
5 3.7

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

A thing many people in a group accept or value

4 1.0

Something often seen in a place or situation

3 4.6

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

common shares
  • Canadian
2 3.8

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

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

common-law marriage
  • Specialized
2 4.3

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

A person in the army or marines with the lowest rank

2 7.8

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

common bile duct
  • Specialized
2 3.7

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

common carotid
  • Specialized
1 3.0

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

1 4.6

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

common factor
  • Specialized
1 2.7

A number that divides two or more numbers exactly

1 3.7

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

1 3.7

People or groups who act together to show unity and reach a shared goal

1 3.5

Land that local people can use, often to graze animals

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

1 3.9

A company that sends data for the public and must treat all messages the same

common time
  • Specialized
1 5.2

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

A small black-and-white sea animal that swims fast and often jumps from the water

1 1.1

A word for a general person, place, thing, or idea

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

A mosquito that often lives near houses and bites people

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 7.0

A problem that unfairly harms something everyone in a community has the right to use

common meter
  • Literature
1 8.5

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

1 2.6

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

1 3.8

A small, spotted sea animal that lives on cold northern coasts

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

1 8.4

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

1 4.4

The largest number that divides evenly into two or more whole numbers without leaving a remainder

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

common measure
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A number that divides two or more numbers exactly with no remainder

1 4.2

Shared money that people in a group use to pay for things together

1 1.0

A white crystal used to season and preserve food

1 5.7

A North American weed with many small green flowers that often cause hay fever

A small bird that lives in groups with dark shiny feathers and often nests near buildings

1 1.1

A plant that grows beans people cook and eat

1 2.3

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

1 2.6

A medium-sized North American animal with a black face mask, ringed tail, and clever front paws

1 2.9

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

Ordinary and not special, like a simple jacket you can buy anywhere

1 9.9

In the past, a person, often a woman, who complains a lot and annoys others

A bushy plant from Europe and Asia with bright yellow flowers used in herbal medicine

common divisor
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A number that divides two or more whole numbers leaving nothing left

1 5.5

The biggest whole number that divides two or more numbers exactly

common roundworm
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A worm that lives in human and pig intestines and makes them sick

common fate
  • Specialized
1 8.1

Objects that move the same way are seen as one group

A tropical Asian plant with a spicy root used to add flavor to food

A low-growing plant with thick sour leaves that people eat in salads or cooked dishes

A small evergreen tree or shrub with needle leaves and blue, berry-like cones used to flavor gin

common multiple
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A number that two or more other numbers divide evenly

common fraction
  • Specialized
1 2.3

A number written with two whole numbers separated by a line to show part of a whole, like 3/4

common progenitor
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A shared ancestor that more than one species or group comes from

A plant with yellow flowers and jagged leaves often eaten or seen as a weed

1 7.5

A small silvery freshwater fish found in streams and rivers in eastern North America

1 3.8

A small fragrant Mediterranean plant with gray-green leaves used to add flavor to food

A garden plant with bright yellow or orange flowers that people use for skin care

1 3.0

A bush with heart-shaped leaves and large clusters of very fragrant purple or white flowers often grown in gardens

How Refined

elegant
163 3.3
refined
  • Formal
25 4.1
common
  • Offensive
81 5.7
crude
  • Offensive
52 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.