banal

adjective

ba·​nal bə-ˈnal 

ba-,

-ˈnäl 

bā-ˈnal;

ˈbā-nᵊl 

: lacking originality, freshness, or novelty : trite

banalize

bə-ˈna-ˌlīz 

ba-

-ˈnä-;

bā-ˈna-;

ˈbā-nᵊl-ˌīz

transitive verb

banally

bə-ˈnal-lē 

ba-

-ˈnäl-;

bā-ˈnal-;

ˈbā-nᵊl-(l)ē

adverb

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How do you pronounce banal?

There are several pronunciations of banal, but the three most common are \BAY-nul\, \buh-NAHL\, and \buh-NAL\ (which rhymes with canal). The earliest pronunciation given in our dictionaries is the now-unused \BAN-ul\ (rhymes with flannel); it is attested to in our dictionaries back to the 1800s, but has dropped out of use. \BAY-nul\ is the next oldest pronunciation. The more recent \buh-NAL\ and \buh-NAHL\ came about through French influence, since banal was borrowed into English from French, and those two pronunciations are closer to the French pronunciation of banal. All three pronunciations are acceptable in educated speech; \buh-NAL\ is currently the most common, followed by \BAY-nul\ and then \buh-NAHL\. There is no reason to condemn any of them as incorrect.

Synonyms

• flat
• insipid
• milk-and-water
• namby-pamby
• watery
• wishy-washy

Choose the Right Synonym for banal

insipid, vapid, flat, jejune, banal, inane mean devoid of qualities that make for spirit and character.

insipid implies a lack of sufficient taste or savor to please or interest.

an insipid romance with platitudes on every page

vapid suggests a lack of liveliness, force, or spirit.

an exciting story given a vapid treatment

flat applies to things that have lost their sparkle or zest.

although well-regarded in its day, the novel now seems flat

jejune suggests a lack of rewarding or satisfying substance.

a jejune and gassy speech

banal stresses the complete absence of freshness, novelty, or immediacy.

a banal tale of unrequited love

inane implies a lack of any significant or convincing quality.

an inane interpretation of the play

Examples of banal in a Sentence

The more banal, the more commonplace, the more predictable, the triter, the staler, the dumber, the better. —Don DeLillo, Mao II, 1991

The instructor's script is banal, relying heavily on images of waves on a beach or clouds in the sky. —Maxine Kumin, "Wintering Over," 1979, in In Deep,  1987

… it seemed to me that computers have been used in ways that are salutary, in ways that are dangerous, banal and cruel, and in ways that seem harmless if a little silly. —Tracy Kidder, The Soul of a New Machine, 1981

He made some banal remarks about the weather.

The writing was banal but the story was good.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the most sinister aspect of the movie, to me, is how banal its serial rapists are—how corny and ineffectual, these cringeworthy failsons. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024

Both projects share a similar eye for the grotesquerie of the banal, with a generally condescending perspective toward rural desperation. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024

The photos in question are relatively banal: images of a figure wearing generic clothing; a shot of a desk with a chair tucked in halfway. —Michelle Weber, Longreads, 27 Nov. 2024

And though rising, warming oceans are leading to stronger and more frequent hurricanes, the real existential threat to the Rockaways — and the thing that kept me up at night while restlessly calculating expenses — is far more banal. —Laura Thompson, Curbed, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "pertaining to a feudal lord's right to extract usage fees for mills, ovens, etc., within his jurisdiction, available for general use, ordinary, commonplace, trite," going back to Old French bannel "subject to a feudal lord's jurisdiction, of seigneurial authority," borrowed from Medieval Latin bannālis, banālis "ordered by a ban, invested with public authority," from bannus, bannum "order given by a public authority, authority, jurisdiction" (borrowed from Old Low Franconian *banna- "call to arms by a lord") + Latin -ālis -al entry 1 — more at ban entry 2

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

banal

adjective

ba·​nal bə-ˈnal  ba-  -ˈnȧl 

bā-ˈnal;

ˈbān-ᵊl

: not original, fresh, or exciting : stale, commonplace

banality

bə-ˈnal-ət-ē

 also  bā-

 or  ba-

noun

banally

bə-ˈnal-lē 

ba-

-ˈnȧl-;

bā-ˌnal-;

ˈbān-ᵊl-(l)ē

adverb

Medical Definition

banal

adjective

ba·​nal bə-ˈnal  ba-  -ˈnȧl; bā-ˈnal; ˈbān-ᵊl 

: of a common or ordinary kind

banal skin organisms

a banal inflammation