banal

comparative more banal · comparative banaler · superlative most banal · superlative banalest · alternative uncommon bannal

1. Common in a boring way, to the point of being predictable; containing nothing new or fresh.

   sound banal

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   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)

   Synonyms: everyday, prosaic, mundane, bathetic, bromidic, cheesy, stock, clichéd · Antonyms: new, original

2. historicaluncommonRelating to a type of feudal jurisdiction or service.

   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

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   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