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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective common contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of common are familiar, ordinary, plain, popular, and vulgar. While all these words mean "generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual," common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness.

a common error
lacked common honesty
common manners

When would familiar be a good substitute for common?

The words familiar and common are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized.

a familiar melody

In what contexts can ordinary take the place of common?

The meanings of ordinary and common largely overlap; however, ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things.

an ordinary pleasant summer day
a very ordinary sort of man

When is plain a more appropriate choice than common?

While in some cases nearly identical to common, plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity.

plain hard-working people

When might popular be a better fit than common?

Although the words popular and common have much in common, 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

How do vulgar and popular relate to one another, in the sense of common?

Vulgar, otherwise similar to popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness).

souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of common Zannaki Pill Organizer Having to check a bag unexpectedly is another common occurrence while boarding, and one that causes many passengers to panic. Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026 Eating more high-fat cheese was also linked to a 29% lower risk of vascular dementia, a common type of cognitive decline caused by reduced or blocked blood flow to the brain. Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 9 Jan. 2026 As is common with rugged handsets, the F113 is home to a monster battery. New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026 Fire is the most common hazard after an earthquake. Pat Harvey, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for common
Recent Examples of Synonyms for common
Adjective
  • Filming the stairs and seeing the response affirmed that her experience was, in fact, out of the ordinary.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
  • That means ordinary users cannot easily guess when Gen AI is reliable.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • This single fine is close to the normal total of $8 million to $10 million in all fines that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration hands out each year.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Trump, as is his want, is just doing the normal thing without the usual white niceties that come with imperialist machinations.
    Elie Mystal, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • After setting a new standard for the organization in 2025, general manager Dan Morgan, head coach Dave Canales and their respective staffs need to raise the bar even higher.
    Mike Kaye January 12, Charlotte Observer, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Daniel McFadin is a general assignment reporter who has been with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since October 2022.
    Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • The president argued that inflation was already low enough to start cutting rates.
    CBS News, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
  • There’s something motivating about having this low, electronic drumbeat pushing you along, trying to go faster and faster and faster.
    Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • The monthly stochastic oscillator remains in overbought territory ( > 80%), underscoring the strength of the prevailing bullish trend rather than signaling exhaustion.
    Katie Stockton, CNBC, 15 Dec. 2025
  • As municipal pools became mixed-gender in the 1920s and ’30s, swimming naked no longer fit prevailing notions of decency.
    Jacob Beckert, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • May’s fixations include fragmented narratives, portraits of place, boundaries and borders, and collective memory.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
  • For decades, the landmark law that came out of the Civil Rights Movement has protected the collective voting power of racial minorities when political maps are redrawn.
    Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • And what this array of talents had gotten them was a shitty job in a town outside Munich in the second division of a mediocre German league.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
  • The final conclusion on the draftees and free agents is likely similar to the final conclusion on each these seasons — mediocre-ish.
    Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 10 Jan. 2026
  • In recent games, KU’s communication has been pretty poor on defense and that’s led to players taking (and too often missing) wide-open 3-pointers.
    Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Common.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/common. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on common

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