Banális

Banális is a Hungarian adjective meaning banal, trivial, or commonplace. It describes things that are ordinary, predictable, or lacking originality, often with a negative or dismissive nuance. In everyday language it can refer to ideas, problems, or solutions that fail to surprise or engage. The term is widely used in journalism, criticism, and cultural discourse to signal clichés, overfamiliar tropes, or unremarkable details. For example, banális hiba (a banal/trivial error) or banális kérdés (a banal question) are common collocations.

Etymology and related terms: The word banális is borrowed from French banal, with related Hungarian forms such as banalitás “banality.” The French term itself goes back to Latin banalus, originally meaning belonging to a lord’s manor and later extending to the sense of common or ordinary. The noun banalitás and the English cognate banality share the same lineage.

Usage and nuance: Banális is typically used to criticize or downplay something as lacking originality or significance. It can appear in reviews, essays, or everyday speech when referring to clichés, predictable outcomes, or routine experiences. While often negative, in neutral descriptive contexts it may simply denote ordinary or conventional rather than inherently bad.

Synonyms and related concepts: Common, ordinary, routine, commonplace, banal, unremarkable, cliché. Antonyms include eredeti (original), különleges (special), kreatív (creative). Related Hungarian terms include közhely (cliché) and banalitás (banality).