Meanings
- Many assumptions that people make through intuition, popular culture, or 'common sense' turn out to be incorrect.
As some anthropologists are fond of saying, common sense is neither common nor sensical.
2016 March 3, Craig E. Wells, “Full Professor Lecture on March 15: Luis Vivanco, Professor of Anthropology”, in College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Vermont, archived from the original on 22 Aug 20242 more examples
In fact, much of what we call common sense is neither common, nor sensical. We use the hindsight bias to pretend facts which come to us were apparent all along. As a result we rob ourselves of the strangeness that lies ahead.
2012 May 17, Scott H. Young, “The Strangeness of Everyday Things”, in Scott. H. Young Blog, archived from the original on 30 Nov 2023They say that Common Sense is neither common nor sensical, and the things we believe about our bodies prove it.
2020 October 8, Tom Dwyer, “Health Notes- 50 lies you believe about your own body”, in Tom Dwyer Automotive Services, archived from the original on 22 Aug 2024
Origin
Attributed to Benjamin Franklin.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
common sense is neither common nor sensical. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/common%20sense%20is%20neither%20common%20nor%20sensical
“common sense is neither common nor sensical.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/common%20sense%20is%20neither%20common%20nor%20sensical. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “common sense is neither common nor sensical,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/common%20sense%20is%20neither%20common%20nor%20sensical.
Source: common sense is neither common nor sensical on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.