conventional wisdom

noun

: the generally accepted belief, opinion, judgment, or prediction about a particular matter

Examples of conventional wisdom in a Sentence

Conventional wisdom in Hollywood says that a movie can't succeed unless it stars a famous actor or actress.

Recent Examples on the Web

But over the past decade, new studies and public health warnings have called that conventional wisdom into question, stating emphatically that no level of alcohol consumption could be considered safe — much less beneficial. —Dylan Scott, Vox, 14 Mar. 2025

The data appears to undermine the conventional wisdom that British distaste for Meghan dominates the backlash against her and points to a new era in which strong opinions exist on both sides of the Atlantic. —William Lambers, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025

For decades, conventional wisdom held that Arab-Israeli rapprochement was impossible until the Palestinian issue was resolved, but Trump’s Abraham Accords proved that wrong. —Elliott Abrams, Foreign Affairs, 7 Feb. 2025

So the conventional wisdom that was tapping Varas on the shoulder was this: adopt a defensive approach that would conserve energy and reduce the odds of a season-first defeat, close out the draw and take the one point back to San Diego. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for conventional wisdom

• unwisdom