commonplace

Definitions

common + place. It translated a rhetorical term for a 'common place' (Latin locus communis) — a stock argument or ready-made phrase that every speaker kept on hand. Because such lines were shared by everyone, 'a commonplace' became a trite remark, and the adjective became 'ordinary, unremarkable.' Here 'place' is a mental topic-slot, not a physical spot.

Why It Means This

The 'place' here is the oldest, most surprising sense in the family: a 'place' in classical rhetoric was a topic or argument-slot, not a location. A 'commonplace book' was literally a notebook where you filed useful quotes and arguments by topic. Once everyone used the same stock lines, 'commonplace' slid from 'a shared topic' to 'unoriginal' to plain 'ordinary.'

Common Collocations

• 1.become commonplace变得司空见惯
• 2.increasingly commonplace越来越普遍
• 3.a commonplace observation老生常谈的看法

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Video calls have become commonplace in remote teams.

• 2.

  His speech was full of commonplaces about hard work and luck.

• 3.

  It is now commonplace for stores to accept mobile payments.

Easily Confused

commonplace vs common — common often means 'widespread' OR 'shared by many' (common knowledge, common goal); commonplace adds a flavor of dullness — so ordinary it's not worth noticing. Calling an idea commonplace gently dismisses it; calling it common usually does not.