banal

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /bəˈnæl/ UK /bəˈnɑːl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
so lacking in originality as to be boring

The speech was full of banal clichés about teamwork.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · so lacking in originality... trite hackneyed commonplace insipid vapid humdrum

Opposites

original fresh novel striking

Word family

Derived forms banalitybanally

Related forms ban

Etymology

From French banal ('commonplace'), originally 'compulsory, communal' (of a mill or oven open to all tenants of a feudal ban), from ban ('proclamation, feudal jurisdiction'), of Germanic origin.

banal French *bannan Proto-West Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# banal

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /bəˈnæl/
**IPA (UK):** /bəˈnɑːl/

## Meanings
1. so lacking in originality as to be boring

## Examples
- The speech was full of banal clichés about teamwork.

## Synonyms
- trite
- hackneyed
- commonplace
- insipid
- vapid
- humdrum

## Antonyms
- original
- fresh
- novel
- striking

## Derived Forms
- banality
- banally

## Related Forms
- ban

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: banal
- Root: *bannan

## Etymology
From French banal ('commonplace'), originally 'compulsory, communal' (of a mill or oven open to all tenants of a feudal ban), from ban ('proclamation, feudal jurisdiction'), of Germanic origin.

## AI Etymology
Banal comes from French banal ('commonplace'), originally 'compulsory, communal' (of a mill or oven open to all tenants of a feudal ban), from ban ('proclamation, feudal jurisdiction'), of Germanic origin. The historical trail runs through French banal and Proto-Germanic *bannan. The later sense follows a semantic development already present in the word's history. In modern use it means so lacking in originality as to be boring. Derived formations include banality, banally; related forms include ban.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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