banal

See also: banał

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French banal, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl]  bannalis (“pertaining to compulsory feudal service, applied especially to mills, wells, ovens, etc., used in common by people of the lower classes, upon the command of a feudal superior; hence, common, commonplace”), from bannum (“command, proclamation”). See also ban, abandon.

Pronunciation

• enPR: bə-näl', IPA^(key): /bəˈnɑːl/
• Rhymes: -ɑːl
• enPR: bān'əl, IPA^(key): /ˈbeɪnəl/
• Rhymes: -eɪnəl
• enPR: bə-năl', IPA^(key): /bəˈnæl/
• Rhymes: -æl

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Adjective

banal (comparative more banal or banaler, superlative most banal or banalest)

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

   Synonyms: everyday, prosaic; see also Thesaurus:hackneyed, Thesaurus:boring

   Antonyms: new, original

   • 2013, John Carney, Begin Again (motion picture), spoken by Dan (Mark Ruffalo):

     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.

Related terms

• banality
• banalize
• banally

Translations

common

• Albanian: banal (sq)
• Armenian: տափակ (hy) (tapʻak), ծեծված (hy) (cecvac), բանալ (hy) (banal)
• Bulgarian: обикновен (bg) (obiknoven), банален (bg) (banalen)
• Catalan: banal (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 平凡 (zh) (píngfán), 平庸 (zh) (píngyōng), 平常 (zh) (píngcháng)

• Czech: banální (cs)
• Danish: banal
• Dutch: banaal (nl)
• Esperanto: banala (eo)
• Finnish: lattea (fi), itsestään selvä
• French: banal (fr)
• Galician: banal
• Georgian: ბანალური (banaluri), ჩვეულებრივი (čveulebrivi)
• German: banal (de)
• Greek: μπανάλ (el) (banál)
• Hebrew: שטחי (shitkhí), בנלי (he) (banáli)
• Hungarian: banális (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: banal (id)
• Interlingua: banal
• Interlingue:
• Italian: banale (it)
• Japanese: ありふれた (arifureta), 陳腐な (ja) (ちんぷな, chinpu-na)
• Kyrgyz: тамтыгы чыккан (ky) (tamtıgı cıkkan)
• Lithuanian: banalus m
• Malay: basi, banal
• Maori: mākihakiha
• Norwegian: banal (no), banalt
• Polish: banalny (pl)
• Portuguese: banal (pt)
• Russian: бана́льный (ru) (banálʹnyj), изби́тый (ru) (izbítyj), обыкнове́нный (ru) (obyknovénnyj)
• Spanish: banal (es)
• Swedish: banal (sv)
• West Frisian: plat

Further reading

• “banal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “banal”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Alban, Balan, Laban, Nabal, alban, laban, nabal, nabla

---

Breton

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

banal m

1. bramble
2. broom (a plant, sp. Genista)

---

Catalan

Etymology

From French banal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [bəˈnal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [baˈnal]

Adjective

banal m or f (masculine and feminine plural banals)

1. banal (common in a boring way)

Derived terms

• banalitat
• banalitzar
• banalment

 

Further reading

• “banal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “banal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “banal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “banal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

---

French

Etymology

From ban +‎ -al, related to Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.nal/

• audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: banale, banals, banales

Adjective

banal (feminine banale, masculine plural banals, feminine plural banales)

1. banal; commonplace

Adjective

banal (feminine banale, masculine plural banaux, feminine plural banales)

1. (law) public
2. (historical) relating to facilities owned by feudal lords

   un four banal, un moulin banal

   a commonplace oven, a commonplace mill

Derived terms

• banalité

Further reading

• “banal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
• Banalité (droit seigneurial) on the French Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^fr

Anagrams

• Alban

---

German

Etymology

From French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

banal (comparative banaler, superlative am banalsten)

1. banal

Related terms

• banalisieren
• Banalität

 

Further reading

• “banal” in Duden online

---

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay banal, from Dutch banaal, from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.

Adjective

banal

1. banal (common)

---

Luxembourgish

Adjective

banal (masculine banalen, neuter banaalt, comparative méi banal, superlative am banaalsten)

1. banal

Declension

declension of banal

number and gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		hien ass banal	si ass banal	et ass banal	si si(nn) banal
nominative / accusative	attributive and/or after determiner	banalen	banal	banaalt	banal
	independent without determiner			banales	banaler
dative	after any declined word	banalen	banaler	banalen	banalen
	as first declined word	banalem		banalem

---

Malay

Etymology

From Dutch banaal, from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /banal/
• Rhymes: -anal, -nal, -al

Adjective

banal

1. banal (common)

   Synonym: basi

---

Portuguese

Adjective

1. banal (common)
2. hackneyed (repeated too often)

   Synonyms: batido, trivial

Derived terms

• banalidade
• banalizar

 

---

Spanish

Etymology

From French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baˈnal/ [baˈnal]

Adjective

banal m or f (masculine and feminine plural banales)

1. banal

Derived terms

• banalidad
• banalizar

 

Further reading

• “banal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

---

Tagalog

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

banal

1. pious