Word: banal (adjective)

Associations

The word "banal" means something that is very ordinary, boring, or not new at all. It is often used to describe ideas, phrases, or things that lack originality and are predictable.

• Example 1: "The movie was banal and did not surprise me." Here, "banal" means the movie was boring and ordinary.
• Example 2: "She gave a banal speech full of clichés." This means the speech had no new or interesting ideas.
• Example 3: "His jokes are banal; I have heard them many times before." This means the jokes are not funny because they are too common.

Synonym: A common synonym is "trite." The difference is that "banal" often emphasizes dullness and lack of originality, while "trite" focuses more on overused ideas or expressions. Both mean unoriginal, but "trite" is usually about language or expressions, and "banal" can describe broader things.

Substitution

You can replace "banal" with:

• "commonplace" (means ordinary, not special)
• "unoriginal" (means lacking new ideas)
• "dull" (means boring)
• "mundane" (means ordinary and not interesting)

Each substitute changes the tone a bit. For example, "dull" focuses more on being boring, while "unoriginal" focuses on lack of creativity.

Deconstruction

"banal" comes from French, originally from the Latin word "banalis," which meant something common or ordinary, especially things that everyone had to use or share (like a common court or oven in medieval times). Over time, it came to mean something very ordinary or boring.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you heard or saw something banal? What was it?
• How would you describe a banal conversation you had?
• Do you think something banal can ever be interesting? Why or why not?