Banalities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Trite and unremarkable statements that fail to add value to a conversation
2. Ordinary observations or expressions that are so commonplace they cease to be engaging or interesting
3. Commonplace or predictable statements that lack originality or interest

Etymology: "Banalities" is the plural of "banality," so it is the form used for multiple trite remarks. The root word, "banal," came into French and was borrowed into English later, carrying a sense of something common to everyone, the kind of thing a feudal lord's tenants were obliged to use. "Banality" is formed from "banal" with the suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. The result names the condition of being commonplace, and from there it came to mean dullness or lack of originality.

Synonyms: triteness, platitude, cliché, insipidity, ordinariness

Antonyms: originality, novelty, innovation, distinctiveness, uniqueness