conventional wisdom

noun

Definition of conventional wisdomnext
as in party line
opinions or beliefs that are held or accepted by most people Conventional wisdom in Hollywood says that a movie can't succeed unless it stars a famous actor or actress.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conventional wisdom Among investors, even some of the world’s most successful contrarians—who make their fortunes betting against conventional wisdom—are embracing the idea that AI could yield bigger benefits more rapidly than any past technological advance. — Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026 Unique cases like Rachel show that Mother Nature can always go against conventional wisdom, and, given enough time and the right conditions, potentially destructive things can happen. — Nicholas Grondin, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026 In election after election, conventional wisdom holds that the economy is the most important issue for American voters. — Howard Lafranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Oct. 2026 An American had never been pope, and the prevailing conventional wisdom was that one never would be elected. — Scott Detrow, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for conventional wisdom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conventional wisdom
  1. party line
  2. generalization
  3. commonplace
  4. stereotype
  5. routine
Noun
  • Jones, a former venture capitalist and fellow Democrat, targeted the incumbent for accepting major corporate donations, following the establishment party line and tied Thompson’s congressional record to under‑investment in the district.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In a 12-11 party line vote, Nicole Saphier — a former Fox News contributor and radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York — took a step closer to becoming the nation’s top doctor.
    — Rachel Roubein, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of party line
Noun
  • This makes generalization and AGI key concepts when reasoning about the speed of progress.
    — Geoffrey Irving, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The same can be demonstrated for generalizations of square grids in high dimensions.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of generalization
Noun
  • Marshall responded by characterizing the practice as commonplace among area hospitals.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Wolff was only the eighth woman to drive a Formula 1 car (four more have done it since); the role, a now-commonplace one that includes driving the simulator during Grand Prix weekends to inform trackside strategy, was created for her.
    — Danielle McNally, InStyle, 28 May 2026
Definition of commonplace
Noun
  • The film also features former congressman George Santos participating in a game involving dolls representing liberal stereotypes, a mock gas chamber, and a button labeled Zyklon B, the poison used by the Nazis at their death camps.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Sacks’s representatives, as well as leaders of the Jewish United Fund, have argued that Johnson and his allies have leaned into antisemitic stereotypes that insinuate that Jewish people hold outsize influence.
    — Leigh Giangreco, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of stereotype
Noun
  • The Sun enters your 6th House, beginning a month focused on routines, responsibilities, health, work, and the systems that keep everything moving.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Elective care is now part of the commercial landscape, giving residents additional options for their personal wellness routine.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of routine

Browse Nearby Words

conventionally
conventional wisdom
conventional wisdoms
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Conventional wisdom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conventional%20wisdom. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All