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B/Banal

B/Banal

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Visual memory aid for Banal

Banal

Lacking originality or freshness; dull, commonplace, and overused.

adjective

Visual memory aid for Banal

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Imagine This

Imagine an NBC station manager banned Al’s television shows from prime-time TV because they were extremely boring.

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Sounds Like

buh-NAL

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Looks Like

ban + al (two parts: 'ban' and 'al')

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Remember This

Banality is the noun form; etymologically related to being common or ordinary, not to prohibiting something.

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Other Forms

banalitynoun

banalizeverb

banallyadverb

banalnessnoun

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Connect With

trite, cliché, prosaic, mundane, unimaginative

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Note

Use banal to describe things that feel dull due to cliché or overfamiliarity, not mere mediocrity. Distinguish from 'ban' in meaning; banal refers to dull sameness, not a direct act of banning.

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Study Deeper

Examples

The movie's plot was banal, with predictable twists and cliché dialogue.
Her banal remarks at the conference dampened the energy in the room.

Synonyms

triteclichédhackneyedprosaicmundane

Antonyms

originalnovelinnovativeinventivefresh

Etymology

From French banal, meaning common or ordinary; ultimately from Medieval Latin bannus (service, obligation) in feudal contexts, reflecting the sense of things that are common or ordinary.

Mnemonic

Ban all originality: banal reminds you of things that ban all freshness.

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Indigence

Extreme poverty or destitution; the state of lacking the basic resources needed for living.

Acrimony

Bitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling

Defame

To damage or ruin someone's reputation by making false statements or presenting them in a harmful way; to slander.

Similar Words

Related words and words with the same part of speech.

Prosaic

Lacking in imagination or creativity; dull and ordinary in style, especially in writing that resembles prose rather than poetry.

Mundane

Ordinary, commonplace, and unremarkable; worldly rather than spiritual.

Abstruse

Difficult to understand; obscure or highly complex.

Accidental

Happening by chance or without deliberate planning; not intended. In music, it is also a noun for a symbol that temporarily alters a pitch.

Acerbic

Sharp or biting in tone or taste; caustic or mordant in manner.

Acquiescent

Ready to agree or approve without protest; compliant.

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