banality

noun

ba·​nal·​i·​ty bə-ˈna-lə-tē  bā- 

 also  ba-

plural banalities

1

: something that lacks originality, freshness, or novelty : something banal : commonplace

2

: the quality or state of lacking new or interesting qualities : the quality or state of being banal

Synonyms

• cliche
• cliché
• bromide
• commonplace
• platitude
• truism

Examples of banality in a Sentence

The trip offers an escape from the banalities of daily life.

We exchanged banalities about the weather.

The writing never rose above banality.

Recent Examples on the Web

Bigelow’s work is procedural to its core, and that this film is a speculative what-if is made all the more horrifying because of its banality. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025

If Berríos and Eichmann had different personalities, for me ‘Black Cocaine’ is a film about the banality of evil versus total evil. —John Hopewell, Variety, 25 Aug. 2025

In a world where shoppers regularly groan about the banality of modern-day shopping, Stitch Fix sought to be the panacea by offering accessible personal stylists that could design and ship outfits specific to a customer’s unique needs and preferences. —Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2025

Online, fans excoriated the bright lights and banality of the revamp so aggressively that the company’s chief marketing officer paid the Reddit forum a visit to quell concerns. —Katherine Laidlaw, HubSpot, 8 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French banalité, from banal "available for general use, commonplace, banal" + -ité -ity

Note: The modern French word is probably an eighteenth-century coinage, and not continuous with Middle French bannalité "a feudal lord's right to extract usage fees, area under such a jurisdiction."

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for banality

• bestiality
• brutality
• carnality
• centrality
• chirality
• duality
• fatality
• finality
• formality
• frugality
• legality
• lethality