- Main Entry:
- 1com·mon
- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈkä-mən\
- Function:
- adjective
- Etymology:
- Middle English commun, from Anglo-French, from Latin communis — more at mean
- Date:
- 13th century
1 a: of or relating to a community at large : public <work for the common good> b: known to the community <common nuisances>2 a: belonging to or shared by two or more individuals or things or by all members of a group <a common friend> <buried in a common grave> b: belonging equally to two or more mathematical entities <triangles with a common base> c: having two or more branches <common carotid artery>3 a: occurring or appearing frequently : familiar <a common sight> b: of the best known or most frequently seen kind —used especially of plants and animals <the common housefly> c: vernacular 2 <common names>4 a: widespread, general <common knowledge> b: characterized by a lack of privilege or special status <common people> c: just satisfying accustomed criteria : elementary <common decency>5 a: falling below ordinary standards : second-rate b: lacking refinement : coarse6: denoting nominal relations by a single linguistic form that in a more highly inflected language might be denoted by two or more different forms <common gender> <common case>7: of, relating to, or being common stock
— com·mon·ly adverb
—
com·mon·ness \-mən-nəs\ noun synonyms common,
ordinary,
plain,
familiar,
popular,
vulgar mean generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual.
common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence
<a common error> <lacked common honesty> and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness
<common manners>.
ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things
<an ordinary pleasant summer day> <a very ordinary sort of man>.
plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity
<plain hard-working people>.
familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized
<a familiar melody>.
popular applies to what is accepted by or prevalent among people in general sometimes in contrast to upper classes or special groups
<a writer of popular romances>.
vulgar, otherwise similar to
popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness)
<souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste>.
