Dictionary

banal en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /bəˈnɑːl/
• /ˈbeɪnəl/
• (UK) audio
• /bəˈnæl/

Etymology

Borrowed from French banal (“held in common, relating to feudal service, by extension commonplace”), from Old French banel, related to Medieval Latin bannālis (“subject to feudal authority”), from Latin bannus (“jurisdiction”), both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bannaną (“to order, summon, forbid”). Equivalent to ban + -al. See also ban, abandon.

Meanings

1. Common in a boring way, to the point of being predictable; containing nothing new or fresh.
   • sound banal
   • banal clichés
   • banal conversation
   • The movie’s dialogue was predictable and banal.
   • He made a few banal remarks about the weather.
   • One of the most banal scenes is suddenly invested with so much meaning! All these banalities - They're suddenly turned into these… these beautiful, effervescent pearls. From Music. 2013, John Carney, Begin Again (motion picture), spoken by Dan (Mark Ruffalo):
2. (historical, uncommon) Relating to a type of feudal jurisdiction or service.
   • French historians have viewed these policies as efforts to replace the banal authority inherited from the Carolingians […] 1984, C. Warren Hollister, “War and Diplomacy in the Anglo-Norman world: the reign of Henry I”, in Anglo-Norman Studies VI: Proceedings of the Battle Conference, 1983, page 79:
   • To what extent were banal lords accountable to a prince or a king for their unrestricted exercise of public authority? 2002, Wim Blockmans, Peter Hoppenbrouwers, Introduction to Medieval Europe 300–1500, page 138:
   • They arrived in 1732, and were distributed gratis to the more important banal mills. 1926, Thomas Guérin, Feudal Canada: The Story of the Seigniories of New France, page 72:

Forms

Antonyms

new · original

Deriveds

banally · banalysis · banalness · banalize · banality · banalise

Synonyms

banal · bathetic · drab · overused · boring · tedious · beat · longsome · stuffy · colourless · lame · dull · pedestrian · well-worn · stodgy · uninteresting · languid · tired · stock · vanilla · snoozeworthy · warmed-over · commonplace · prosy · no fun at parties · insipid · uncool · lifeless · ho-hum · pedantic · humdrum · weaksauce · vapid · clichéd · static · blah · shopworn · drowsy · straightforward · banal · monotonous · lackluster · pat · wooden · played out · plodding · plain · corny · bland · dull as dishwater · overworked · mundane · cold · prosaic · basic · timeworn · corny · wan · mundane · hoary · prosaic · overdone · everyday · heavy going · stale · cheesy · flat · hackneyed · commonplace · dog-eared · dreich · bromidic · soporific · mindless · threadbare · trite

Translations (64)

ia banal (common) · cs banální (common) · fi lattea (common) · sl banalen (common) · pl banalny (common) · sv banal (common) · id banal (common) · ms banal (common) · he בָּנָלִי (common) · ko 따분하다 (common) · ky тамтыгы чыккан (common) · hy անհամ (common) · ka ბანალური (common) · ko 시시하다 (common) · ja ありふれた (common) · bg обикнове́н (common) · ms basi (common) · ja 陳腐な (common) · mk банален (common) · mi mākihakiha (common) · gl banal (common) · ru обыкнове́нный (common) · hy ծեծված (common) · de banal (common) · lt banalus (common) · ru бана́льный (common) · pt banal (common) · he שטחי (common) · sh ба̀на̄лан (common) · be звыча́йны (common) · hu banális (common) · tr banal (common) · uk звича́йний (common) · fr banal (common) · cmn 平庸 (common) · cmn 平凡 (common) · nl gewoontjes (common) · nl banaal (common) · ka ჩვეულებრივი (common) · ro banal (common) · fy plat (common) · sk banálny (common) · bg бана́лен (common) · sq banal (common) · eo banala (common) · uk бана́льний (common) · ko 진부(陳腐)하다 (common) · da banal (common) · ko 평범하다 (common) · ru изби́тый (common) · ar بَايِخ (common) · fi itsestään selvä (common) · cmn 平常 (common) · vi nhàm (common) · ar عَادِيّ (common) · ca banal (common) · nb banal (common) · es banal (common) · sh bànālan (common) · it banale (common) · hy տափակ (common) · hy բանալ (common) · be бана́льны (common) · el μπανάλ (common)