rhizoverbBeta
DictionarybanalDull and unoriginal
adjective

banal

buh-NAHL/bəˈnɑːl/

Dull because it is ordinary and lacks originality.

The visitor finds the nearly identical sunset paintings banal.

An unimpressed gallery visitor surveys a row of nearly identical, clichéd sunset paintings.
Etymology
banOld Frenchdecree, legal control
+alFrenchpertaining to

The connection with legal control ran through feudal usage: either shared ovens and mills or compulsory military service. The meaning broadened through 'open to everyone' to 'ordinary,' then 'trite.'

In context

Mr. Beat0:00
people talk about politics! Shall we? Secular Talk: Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens the Right Wing superstars went on Fox News and what they did was spew the most boring, banal Right Wing talking points I've ever heard.
Political Spectrums Explained — Why is there a left wing and right wing?

More examples

  • She replaced the banal phrase with a precise description.
  • The plot turned an interesting idea into something banal.
  • His banal advice offered little help.

Forms

banal · more banal · most banal

Similar words

trite
Trite suggests worn out through repetition; banal can simply be unoriginal and ordinary.
dull
Dull is broadly uninteresting; banal specifically lacks freshness or originality.