Is common an adjective

Common Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary

18 ENTRIES FOUND:

common (adjective)
common (noun)
common–law (adjective)
common denominator (noun)
Common Era (noun)
common ground (noun)
common law (noun)
common market (noun)
common noun (noun)
common room (noun)
common sense (noun)
common touch (noun)
least common denominator (noun)
lowest common denominator (noun)
cause (noun)
find (verb)
garden (noun)
knowledge (noun)

¹ common /ˈkɑːmən/ adjective

¹ common

/ˈkɑːmən/

adjective

Britannica Dictionary definition of COMMON

belonging to or shared by two or more people or groups

They have a common ancestor.
The people on the island have a sense of common identity.
a common goal/interest
The pool at the condominiums is common property. [=the pool is owned by all of the condominium owners]
The organization works for the common good. [=the public good; the advantage of everyone]
He was chosen as the leader by common consent. [=everyone agreed that he should be the leader]

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— see also common ground, common knowledge at knowledge

[or more common; most common] commoner; -est

done by many people

It is common practice for one town's fire department to help another town when there is a big fire.
a common spelling mistake

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occurring or appearing frequently

not rare

a common [=widespread] disease
Buffalo were once a common [=familiar] sight on the American plains.
Electric windows are a common feature in new cars.
“Smith” is a common name.
The problem is common to laptop computers. = It's common for laptop computers to have this problem.
I think some of the most common flowers are also some of the prettiest.

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of a type that is regularly seen and not considered special or unique

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without special rank or status

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not having power, wealth, or high status

My parents were common [=ordinary, regular] folk.
the common people
the common man

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— see also common sense

expected from polite and decent people

He didn't even have the common decency to apologize.
It is common courtesy to say “thank you. ”

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[or more common; most common]

British, old-fashioned + disapproving

commoner;

commonest

of or belonging to a low social class

His manners are very common.
She thought him common and uneducated.

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common-or-garden

chiefly British, informal

not unusual

garden-variety

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— commonly

adverb [more commonly; most commonly]

He is commonly believed to be the discoverer of electricity.
a medicine commonly used to treat the flu
commonly held beliefs/notions
The kangaroo is commonly associated with Australia.

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— commonness

/ˈkɑːmənnəs/ noun [noncount]

The team showed a commonness of purpose.
the commonness of the name “Smith”

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² common /ˈkɑːmən/ noun

plural commons

² common

/ˈkɑːmən/

noun

plural commons

Britannica Dictionary definition of COMMON

[count]

a public area or park usually in the center of a town or city

the town common
Boston Common

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commons

a place where meals are served at a school, college, etc.

[singular]

a dining commons

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[plural]

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the Commons : house of commons

in common

shared together

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◊ People who have something in common share interests, beliefs, attitudes, opinions, etc.

We have a lot (of things) in common (with each other).
You're a musician too? I guess we have a lot in common.
She's very nice, but we have nothing in common.

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◊ Things that have something in common share features or characteristics.

The cameras have/share some basic features in common.
The two cultures have a lot in common (with each other).
The film has more in common with the director's earlier works than with his most recent projects.
(formal) The town, in common with [=like] others in the region, depends on the tourism industry.

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Common Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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[ kom-uhn ]

/ ˈkɒm ən /

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See synonyms for: common / commoner / commonest / commons on Thesaurus. com

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adjective, com·mon·er, com·mon·est.

belonging equally to, or shared alike by, two or more or all in question: common property;common interests.

pertaining or belonging equally to an entire community, nation, or culture; public: a common language or history;a common water-supply system.

joint; united: a common defense.

widespread; general; universal: common knowledge.

of frequent occurrence; usual; familiar: a common event;a common mistake.

hackneyed; trite.

of mediocre or inferior quality; mean; low: a rough-textured suit of the most common fabric.

coarse; vulgar: common manners.

lacking rank, station, distinction, etc.; unexceptional; ordinary: a common soldier;common people;the common man;a common thief.

Dialect. friendly; sociable; unaffected.

Anatomy. forming or formed by two or more parts or branches: the common carotid arteries.

Prosody. (of a syllable) able to be considered as either long or short.

Grammar.

not belonging to an inflectional paradigm; fulfilling different functions that in some languages require different inflected forms: English nouns are in the common case whether used as subject or object.
constituting one of two genders of a language, especially a gender comprising nouns that were formerly masculine or feminine: Swedish nouns are either common or neuter.
noting a word that may refer to either a male or a female: French élève has common gender. English lacks a common gender pronoun in the third person singular.
(of a noun) belonging to the common gender.

Mathematics. bearing a similar relation to two or more entities.

of, relating to, or being common stock: common shares.

noun

Often commons. Chiefly New England. a tract of land owned or used jointly by the residents of a community, usually a central square or park in a city or town.

Law. the right or liberty, in common with other persons, to take profit from the land or waters of another, as by pasturing animals on another's land (common of pasturage ) or fishing in another's waters (common of piscary ).

commons, (used with a singular or plural verb)

the commonalty; the nonruling class.
the body of people not of noble birth or not ennobled, as represented in England by the House of Commons.
Commons, the representatives of this body.
Commons, the House of Commons.

commons,

(used with a singular verb) a large dining room, especially at a university or college.
(usually used with a plural verb)British. food provided in such a dining room.
(usually used with a plural verb) food or provisions for any group.

Sometimes Commons .Ecclesiastical.

an office or form of service used on a festival of a particular kind.
the ordinary of the Mass, especially those parts sung by the choir.
the part of the missal and breviary containing Masses and offices of those saints assigned to them.

Obsolete.

the community or public.
the common people.

OTHER WORDS FOR common

4 prevalent, popular; accepted.

5 customary, habitual, everyday.

See synonyms for common on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR common

1 individual.

5 unusual.

See antonyms for common on Thesaurus.com

VIDEO FOR COMMON

How Do You Use Synonyms To Replace Common Words?

Synonyms can make our conversation and sentences sound better and more eloquent. But how do you actually use synonyms in place of common words?

Idioms about common

in common, in joint possession or use; shared equally: They have a love of adventure in common.

Origin of common

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English comun, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin commūnis “common,” presumably originally “sharing common duties,” akin to mūnia “duties of an office,” mūnus “task, duty, gift,” from an unattested base moin-, cognate with mean²; cf. com-, immune

synonym study for common

4. See general. 7-9. Common, vulgar, ordinary refer, often with derogatory connotations of cheapness or inferiority, to what is usual or most often experienced. Common applies to what is accustomed, usually experienced, or inferior, to the opposite of what is exclusive or aristocratic: The park is used by the common people. Vulgar properly means belonging to the people, or characteristic of common people; it connotes low taste, coarseness, or ill breeding: the vulgar view of things; vulgar in manners and speech. Ordinary refers to what is to be expected in the usual order of things; it means average or below average: That is a high price for something of such ordinary quality.

OTHER WORDS FROM common

com·mon·ness, nouno·ver·com·mon, adjectiveo·ver·com·mon·ly, adverbo·ver·com·mon·ness, noun

quasi-common, adjectivequa·si-com·mon·ly, adverb

Words nearby common

commodity, commodity exchange, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, commodore, Commodus, common, commonable, commonage, Common Agricultural Policy, commonality, commonalty

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to common

accepted, commonplace, everyday, familiar, frequent, natural, prevailing, prevalent, routine, simple, trivial, typical, universal, popular, shared, bourgeois, characteristic, current, daily, general

How to use common in a sentence

Students would have a fully equipped laptop to call their own as well as one that didn’t lack key functionalities, which is common among donated devices.
The coronavirus pandemic is expanding California’s digital divide|Walter Thompson|July 9, 2020|TechCrunch
The company’s financial history is occluded — common with private companies — and a bit uneven.
Coinbase reported to consider late 2020, early 2021 public debut|Alex Wilhelm|July 9, 2020|TechCrunch
Residents often live four to a room, share a bathroom, and congregate in crowded common spaces.
Canada’s “national shame”: Covid-19 in nursing homes|Sigal Samuel|July 7, 2020|Vox
The system can’t be easily reverse-engineered to determine what it learned to pay attention to during training — a common problem for researchers trying to use AI to do science.
Why Is Glass Rigid? Signs of Its Secret Structure Emerge.|John Pavlus|July 7, 2020|Quanta Magazine

Accounts on these platforms were all registered using a handful of common email addresses and phone numbers.
FBI nabs Nigerian business scammer who allegedly cost victims millions|Timothy B. Lee|July 6, 2020|Ars Technica
The email appears to have been a relatively common attempt to gain personal information from a wide range of unwitting victims.
Was Sony Hit With a Second Hack?|Shane Harris|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The vaccine is delivered through a “carrier virus” that causes a common cold in chimpanzees but does not affect humans.
The Race for the Ebola Vaccine|Abby Haglage|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Another read: “We need leaders who will stand against Common Core.”
Rand Paul’s Passive-Aggressive Trolling Campaign|Olivia Nuzzi|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Finding the common bonds that help us realize that we have far more in common than that which separates us.
In 2015, Let’s Try for More Compassion|Gene Robinson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
At the time, screen quotas were far more common among film producing industries.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Smooth Naked Horsetail is a common plant, specially by the sides of streams and pools.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
I would ask you to imagine it translated into every language, a common material of understanding throughout all the world.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Our social life is aimless without it, we are a crowd without a common understanding.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Diplococci without capsules are common in the sputum, but have no special significance.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
He had discovered that the all-glorious boast of Spain was not exempt from the infirmities of common men.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter

British Dictionary definitions for common

common

/ (ˈkɒmən) /

adjective

belonging to or shared by two or more peoplecommon property

belonging to or shared by members of one or more nations or communities; publica common culture

of ordinary standard; averagecommon decency

prevailing; widespreadcommon opinion

widely known or frequently encountered; ordinarya common brand of soap

widely known and notoriousa common nuisance

derogatory considered by the speaker to be low-class, vulgar, or coarsea common accent

(prenominal) having no special distinction, rank, or statusthe common man

maths

having a specified relationship with a group of numbers or quantitiescommon denominator
(of a tangent) tangential to two or more circles

prosody (of a syllable) able to be long or short, or (in nonquantitative verse) stressed or unstressed

grammar (in certain languages) denoting or belonging to a gender of nouns, esp one that includes both masculine and feminine referentsLatin sacerdos is common

anatomy

having branchesthe common carotid artery
serving more than one functionthe common bile duct

Christianity of or relating to the common of the Mass or divine office

common or garden informal ordinary; unexceptional

noun

(sometimes plural) a tract of open public land, esp one now used as a recreation area

law the right to go onto someone else's property and remove natural products, as by pasturing cattle or fishing (esp in the phrase right of common)

Christianity

a form of the proper of the Mass used on festivals that have no special proper of their own
the ordinary of the Mass

archaic the ordinary people; the public, esp those undistinguished by rank or title

in common mutually held or used with another or others

Derived forms of common

commonness, noun

Word Origin for common

C13: from Old French commun, from Latin commūnis general, universal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with common

common

In addition to the idioms beginning with common

common cause
common ground
common touch, the

also see:

in common

English adjective

English Le arning O nline

Grammar

An adjective is a part of speech that denotes a sign of an object and answers the question what? what? For example: red red, good good, interesting interesting, Russian Russian.

Adjectives in English do not change either by gender, or by number, or by case: a young man a young man, a young woman young, woman, young people young people, with a young man with a young man. They can only change in degrees of comparison: long, longer, longest long, longer, longest.

Adjectives are simple and derivative. Simple adjectives have neither prefixes nor suffixes in their composition: big is big, short is short, black is black, red is red. Derived adjectives include suffixes or prefixes, or both at the same time: natural, incorrect, incorrect, unnatural.

The most characteristic adjective suffixes are:

-ful: useful, doubtful

-less: helpless helpless, useless useless;

-ous: famous, dangerous;

-al: formal formal, central central;

-able, -ible: eatable

The most common adjective prefixes are:

un-: unhappy unhappy, unequal unequal;

in-: incomplete incomplete, indifferent indifferent.

Some adjectives are compound and are formed from two words denoting one concept: dark-blue is dark blue, snow-white is snow-white.

In a sentence, adjectives are used in the function of definition and in the function of the nominal part of the compound predicate:

The large box is on the table. Big box on the table.

(definition)

The box is large. The box is big.

(nominal part of compound predicate)

TRANSFER OF ADJECTS TO NOUNS

Some adjectives in English, as well as in Russian, can act as nouns. With a plural meaning, denoting all persons or a group of persons with this feature, they do not take the ending -s and are used with the definite article:

There are special schools for the blind in our country.

Immediate help was rendered to the sick.

There are special schools for the blind in our country.

Patients received immediate care.

To designate one person or several individuals, a combination of an adjective with one of the nouns is used: man, men; woman, women; person, persons; people, etc.: a blind man; a blind woman two blind persons a poor man two poor men.

Adjectives denoting a nationality can become nouns denoting persons of that nationality. Adjectives ending in -an, -ian (Russian Russian, German German, etc.), turning into nouns, are used both in the singular and in the plural. In the plural, they take the ending -s:

a Russian

a Bulgarian

a German

a Norwegian

an American

Russian

Bulgarian

German

Norwegian

American

two Russians

three Bulgarians

two Germans

two Norwegians

two Americans

two Russians

three Bulgarians

two Germans

two Norwegians

two Americans

In the plural, such nouns can refer to the nation as a whole. In this case, they are preceded by the definite article:

the Russians

the Norwegians

Russians

Norwegians

the Bulgarians

the Germans

Bulgarians

Germans

Adjectives ending in -se and -ss (Chinese Chinese, Swiss Swiss, etc.) become nouns, both singular and plural. In the plural, they do not take the ending -s. They can also refer to the given nation as a whole. In this case, they are preceded by the definite article:

a Chinese

a Japanese

a Swiss

two Chinese

two Japanese

two Swiss

the Chinese

the Japanese

the Swiss

Adjectives ending in -sh and -ch (English English, French French, etc. ) become nouns and are used in the plural to refer to the nation as a whole. In this case, they are preceded by a definite article: the French are French, the English are English, the Scotch are Scots, the Dutch are Dutch, the Spanish are Spaniards.

When it is not about the nation as a whole, compound nouns are used, formed from this adjective and the nouns man, woman, men, women:

an Englishman

English

a Frenchman

French

a Scotchman

Scot

a Dutchman

Dutch

an Englishwoman

English

a Frenchwoman

french

a Scotchwoman

tartan

a Dutchwoman

dutch

two Englishmen

three Frenchwomen

three french women

two Scotchmen

two Scots

two Dutchmen

But: a Spaniard Spaniard; two Spaniards

ADJECTIVE SENTENCE

The adjective in the function of definition comes before the noun to which it refers, and in the function of the nominal part of the compound predicate - after the linking verb:

I have bought a red pencil. I bought a red pencil.

The pencil is red. The pencil is red.

When a noun is defined by two or more adjectives, those that are more closely related in meaning to the noun are placed closer to it:

It was a cold autumn day.

He is a clever young man.

She put on a new black woolen dress.

It was a cold autumn day.

He is a smart young man.

She is wearing a new black woolen dress.

Some adjectives ending in -able, -ible can either precede or follow the noun:

The goods were shipped by the first available steamer (=by the first steamer available).

The goods were shipped by the first steamer available.

The adjective enough can come before or after a noun:

We have enough time.

= We have enough time.

We have enough time.

COMPARATIVE DEGREES OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

Qualitative adjectives and adverbs of mode of action in English, as well as in Russian, have three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative and superlative. One-syllable adjectives and adverbs, as well as two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, -e, -er, -ow, form a comparative degree by adding the suffix -er to the positive degree, and a superlative degree using the suffix -est.

FORMATION OF COMPARATIVE POWERS WITH THE HELP OF SUFFIXES
Positive degree	Comparative degree	Superlatives
small	smaller	smallest
easy easy	easier	easiest

SPELLING CHANGES IN THE FORMATION OF COMPARATIVE DEGREES USING THE SUFFIXES -ER AND -EST
No. p/n	RULE	EXAMPLE
1	If an adjective or adverb ends in a positive degree with an unreadable letter -e, then adding -er and -est this letter is omitted	large large - larger more - largest
2	If an adjective or adverb ends in a consonant letter preceded by a short stressed sound, the final consonant is doubled	hot - hotter - hottest hottest
3	If an adjective or adverb ends in -y preceded by a consonant, the comparative and superlative degrees of -y change to -i-	busy - busier busier - busiest
4	If -y is preceded by a vowel, then -y remains unchanged	gray gray - grayer - grayest

Polysyllabic adjectives and adverbs, as well as most disyllabic adjectives (except those ending in -y, -e, -er, -ow) form the comparative degree with the word more more, and the superlative degree with the word most most, most, which are placed before an adjective or adverb in the form of a positive degree.

FORMATION OF COMPARATIVE DEGREES USING MORE AND MOST
Positive degree	Comparative degree	Excellent grade
interesting	more interesting more interesting	most interesting most interesting
easily	more easily	most easily
active active	more active more active	most active most active

In addition, there are a number of adjectives and adverbs that form degrees of comparison from other roots.

EXCEPTIONS

POSITIVE

DEGREE

COMPARATIVE

DEGREE

EXCELLENT

DEGREE

good good

well

better

best,

best

bad bad

badly* badly

worse

worst

little

less less than

least,

least

many

much

most largest,

most

far

far away

farther further

(by distance),

further more distant (in time)

farthest

(by distance),

furthest

(by time)

* The remaining adverbs ending in -ly form degrees of comparison using the words more and most, for example: correctly correctly - more correctly more correctly - most correctly most correctly.

NOTES
No. p/n	NOTE	EXAMPLE
1	A noun with a superlative adjective is used with the definite article if no pronoun is required	Moscow is the largest city in our country. Moscow is the largest city in our country. My best friend lives in Saransk. My best friend lives in Saransk.
2	The definite article is retained before the superlative even when the noun is not mentioned (i.e. it is implied)	The Moscow underground is the most beautiful in the world. The Moscow metro is the most beautiful in the world.
3	When comparing two objects of unequal quality, the conjunction than than is always used, which follows the adjective or adverb in a comparative degree (in Russian it can be omitted)	My son is younger than yours. My son is younger than yours (=than yours).
4	When comparing equal qualities of two objects, the pair union as ... as is the same ... as ... The adjective or adverb is in a positive degree	He is as old as my grandfather. He is the same age as my grandfather. (= He is as old as my grandfather.)
5	When negating the equality of the qualities of two objects, the pair union is used not so . .. as not the same ... as ... The adjective or adverb is in a positive degree	Your house is not so big as ours. Your house is not as big as ours.
6	Most (of) followed by a noun is translated by the words most, most	Most students speak English well. Most of the students speak English well.
7	An English sentence, the two parts of which (separated by a comma) begin with an adjective or an adverb in a comparative degree with a definite article before it, is translated into Russian using the union than ..., those ...	The more we read, the more we know. The more we read, the more we know.

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Vocabulary

Adjective

The meaning and grammatical features of the adjective.

Adjective is a part of speech that denotes a sign of an object and answers the questions what? which? which? whose?

Note. Under the attribute in grammar, it is customary to understand the properties, belonging, quantities, etc., characterizing objects.

According to the meaning and form, the categories of adjectives are distinguished: qualitative, relative and possessive. Adjectives, depending on nouns, agree with them, i.e. are put in the same case, number, gender as the nouns to which they refer. The initial form of adjectives is the nominative case in the singular masculine. Adjectives come in full and short (only qualitative ones). In a sentence, adjectives in full form, as a rule, are agreed definitions, sometimes they are the nominal part of the compound predicate. Short form adjectives are used only as predicates. Qualitative adjectives have a comparative and a superlative degree.

Qualitative adjectives.

Qualitative adjectives denote such a sign (quality) of an object that can be in this object to a greater or lesser extent.

Qualitative adjectives designate an attribute of an object according to:

shape (straight, angled)
size (slim, low)
color (red, lemon)
property (tough, tough)
taste (bitter, salty)
weight (heavy, weightless)
smell (odorous, fragrant)
temperature (warm, cool)
sound (loud, quiet)
general assessment (important, harmful)
and others

Most quality adjectives have full and short forms. Full form varies by cases, numbers and gender. Adjectives in short form change by number and gender. Short adjectives are not declined; in a sentence are used as predicates. Some adjectives are used only in short form: much, glad, must, need . Some qualitative adjectives do not have a corresponding short form: adjectives with suffixes denoting a high degree of attribute, and an adjective that is part of terminological names (fast train, deep rear).

Qualitative adjectives can be combined with an adverb is very , have antonyms. Qualitative adjectives have comparative and superlative degrees of comparison . In form, each degree can be simple (consists of one word) and compound (consists of two words): harder, quietest.

Comparative degree. Comparative degree shows that in this or that subject the attribute appears to a greater or lesser extent than in another.

Superlatives. Superlative degree shows that one or another object is superior to other objects in some way.

Relative adjectives.

Relative adjectives denote such a feature of an object that cannot be in the object to a greater or lesser extent. Relative adjectives do not have a short form, degrees of comparison, do not combine with the adverb very , do not have antonyms. Relative adjectives change by case, number and gender (singular).

Relative adjectives denote :

material (wooden spoon, clay pot)
number (five-year-old daughter, two-story house)
location (river port, steppe wind)
time (last year's plan, January frosts)
appointment (washing machine, passenger train)
weight, length, measure (meter stick, quarter plan)
and others

Possessive adjectives.

Possessive adjectives indicate that something belongs to a person and answer questions whose? whose? whose? whose? Possessive adjectives change by case, number and gender.

Is common an adjective

Common Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary

common-or-garden

— commonly

— commonness

in common

Common Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

OTHER WORDS FOR common

OPPOSITES FOR common

VIDEO FOR COMMON

How Do You Use Synonyms To Replace Common Words?

Idioms about common

Origin of common

synonym study for common

OTHER WORDS FROM common

Words nearby common

Words related to common

How to use common in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for common

Derived forms of common

Word Origin for common

Other Idioms and Phrases with common

English adjective

Grammar

Vocabulary

Adjective

The meaning and grammatical features of the adjective.

Qualitative adjectives.

Relative adjectives.

Possessive adjectives.

Learn more