February 21, 2026
banal
/bəˈnæl/adjective
So ordinary and unoriginal that it feels dull and easy to predict.
Example sentences
- “The film's plot was banal, and I guessed the ending within ten minutes.”
- “Her graduation speech was full of banal advice like 'follow your dreams.'”
Pronunciation is famously unsettled: buh-NAL, buh-NAHL, and BAY-nul are all in respectable use.