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banal

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The definition of banal is something common or overused.

(adjective)

An example of something banal are boring knock-knock jokes that have been told many times before.

See banal in Webster's New World College Dictionary

adjective

dull or stale as because of overuse; trite; hackneyed; commonplace

Origin: Fr < OFr, designating objects (such as ovens or mills) belonging to feudal serfs (hence common, ordinary) < ban, decree, legal control: see ban

Related Forms:

banality noun pl. banalities
banally adverb

See banal in American Heritage Dictionary 4

adjective

Drearily commonplace and often predictable; trite: “Blunt language cannot hide a banal conception” (James Wolcott).

Origin:

Origin: French

Origin: , from Old French, shared by tenants in a feudal jurisdiction

Origin: , from ban, summons to military service

Origin: , of Germanic origin; see bhā-² in Indo-European roots

Related Forms:

ba·nalˈizeˌ verb

ba·nalˈly adverb

Usage Note: The pronunciation of banal is not settled among educated speakers of American English. Sixty years ago, H.W. Fowler recommended the pronunciation (bănˈəl, rhyming with panel), but this pronunciation is now regarded as recondite by most Americans: no member of the Usage Panel prefers this pronunciation. In our 2001 survey, (bənălˈ) is preferred by 58 percent of the Usage Panel, (bāˈnəl) by 28 percent, and (bə-nälˈ) by 13 percent (this pronunciation is more common in British English). Some Panelists admit to being so vexed by the problem that they tend to avoid the word in conversation. Speakers can perhaps take comfort in knowing that these three pronunciations each have the support of at least some of the Usage Panel and that none of them is incorrect. When several pronunciations of a word are widely used, there is really no right or wrong one.

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