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common

common

23 1.0
Used in everyday speech rather than in formal writing
  • adjective
  • /ˈkɑːmən/
  • Informal
: coloquial
  • But use your eyes, your common sense.
  • common language
  • common words
  • common usage

And I believe it was Harlan Ellison who taught me that the common phrase that you've heard, everyone has the right to their opinion is incorrect.

Examples

  • In our meetings, we stick to common words that everyone finds easy to grasp.

  • Everyone agreed to use common terms so that everyone could understand the discussion.

  • I expected some common sense on your part.

  • Just use the common sense God gave you.

  • I was always the sister with good common sense.

  • I know it sounds boring, but trust me from recent experience, a little common sense, it's not such a bad thing, B.

  • You've always had common sense.

  • Spicer relied on common sense, which was often at odds with the law.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • They're not written down, they're just common sense.

  • It's common sense.

Synonyms

colloquial
vscommon
  • Informal
7 6.5

Language people use in everyday speech rather than in formal writing

is broader applying to everyday language beyond just conversational use
vernacular
vscommon
  • Formal
5 6.5

Saying or writing in the everyday words ordinary people use rather than in formal language

is broader covering everyday words across contexts not only community speech
vulgar
vscommon
2 5.3

Used by ordinary people rather than in formal or technical language

is the neutral label for words typical of daily speech rather than formal usage

Antonyms

technical
  • Specialized
522 4.4

About practical skills and knowledge for a job or field

formal
  • Formal
17 3.0

Using correct grammar without slang or contractions

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 Formal

formal
  • Formal
17 3.0
technical
  • Specialized
522 4.4
common
  • Informal
23 1.0
informal
100 3.1
slang
  • Slang
56 7.9

Surface Forms

common positive
commoner comparative
commonest superlative

Etymology

Common in 'common language' comes from Latin communis 'shared' and is like community, meaning 'for the people'. So common speech is the everyday language shared by most people, not the formal or technical words.