common sense

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The ordinary ability to make sensible choices and judge situations without needing special training or study.

   Grammar: Uncountable: use common sense, not a common sense.

   Patterns

   • use common sense
   • have common sense

   It's just common sense to wear a coat in freezing weather.

   He has plenty of book knowledge but no common sense.

   Use your common sense and ask for help when the sign is unclear.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Based on plain practical reasoning, as in a common-sense approach; usually hyphenated before a noun.

   Grammar: Hyphenated before a noun: a common-sense rule.

   Patterns

   • a common-sense approach

   The manager took a common-sense approach to the problem.

   Her common-sense advice saved us a lot of money.

Common combinations

use common sense

Just use common sense when you hike alone.

a lack of common sense

His decision showed a lack of common sense.

good old common sense

A bit of good old common sense solved the issue.

common sense approach

We need a common-sense approach to safety.

defy common sense

The result seems to defy common sense.

Synonyms and how they differ

practicality

Practicality means being focused on what works, while common sense is a general sound judgment.

good sense

Good sense is nearly identical but slightly more formal.

prudence

Prudence stresses caution about risk, whereas common sense is broader.

horse sense

Horse sense is old-fashioned and informal, especially American, for plain shrewdness.

Opposites

Word family

sense noun

the ability to judge, or a bodily faculty

common adjective

shared or ordinary

commonsensical adjective

showing common sense

nonsense noun

words or ideas without meaning

Commonly confused: common sense or common sense (two words)?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “common sense”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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