Words / C1

k-uh-MYOONL/kəˈmjuːnl/

Communal means shared by a group: a communal kitchen, communal land. Common can mean shared or ordinary; public is for the state or everyone. Community is the noun. Communal violence is a grim news collocation — different tone from a shared fridge.

Meaning

Shared by a group or community rather than owned privately.

Examples

• “Students cook in a communal kitchen.”
• “Washing machines are communal in this hall of residence.”
• “They restored a communal garden behind the flats.”

Good to know

communal + kitchen/garden/space. Noun: community. Ordinary: common.

Near in meaning

shared

New