Meaning & use
a mutual
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Felt or done by two or more people toward each other; shared equally.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: 'mutual respect'. It is not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- mutual respect
- mutual agreement
- mutual friend
Their relationship is based on mutual trust and honesty.
The two countries signed a mutual agreement to reduce pollution.
We met through a mutual friend at a party.
nouncountableinformalBritish
A mutual friend; used informally in British English.
Grammar: Countable and informal: 'She's a mutual of mine.' Usually only in British English.
Patterns
- a mutual of mine
- a mutual of ours
Oh, you know Tom? He's a mutual of ours.
I ran into a mutual at the supermarket yesterday.
Common combinations
- mutual respect
- Good teamwork depends on mutual respect.
- mutual agreement
- They ended the contract by mutual agreement.
- mutual friend
- He is a mutual friend of both of us.
- mutual benefit
- The deal was designed for mutual benefit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shared
- Shared means owned or used by several people; mutual emphasizes that the feeling or action goes both ways.
- reciprocal
- Reciprocal is more formal and technical, often used in official or academic writing.
- common
- Common means belonging to everyone in a group; mutual usually involves two people or groups equally.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: a mutual or common?
a mutual vs common
Common means happening often or belonging to many, while mutual means shared between two specific people or groups.
Practice
Their friendship works because of ___ trust — both of them feel the same way.
Choose one answer.
'Mutual' means the feeling goes both ways. 'Common' means shared by many, 'one-sided' means only one person feels it, and 'individual' means separate.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a mutual”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.