Words / C1

b-uh-NAHL/bəˈnɑːl/

Banal means boring because it is stale and overused — a thought that has lost its edge. Ordinary is milder and not always an insult; clichéd is a close cousin for phrases. Banality is the noun. Critics reach for banal when advice, dialogue, or a plot is tired. In speech, nothing new or same old lines will do; banal can sound like a review.

Meaning

Boring because it is too ordinary and has been said too often.

Examples

• “The speech was full of banal advice.”
• “The manifesto was a string of banal pledges.”
• “I wanted a sharp ending, not a banal moral about trying hard.”

Good to know

Stale and overused. Close: clichéd. Noun: banality. Everyday: nothing new. Stronger insult than ordinary.

Near in meaning

clichéd

New