Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

conventional wisdom

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.97 in modern English

Syllables: con-ven-tion-al wis-dom
IPA

29

Scrabble Score

18

Letters

5

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A belief or set of beliefs that is widely accepted, especially one which may be questionable on close examination.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"It will be convenient to have a name for the ideas which are esteemed at any time for their acceptability, and it should be a term that emphasizes this predictability. I shall refer to these ideas henceforth as the conventional wisdom."
"So many Americans accept “zero population growth” as a new canon of conventional wisdom that it comes as a surprise to hear the notion disputed."
"Well, during our short staycation at Humberston Fitties, just south of Cleethorpes, we cycled through the very unspoilt Lincolnshire Wolds, which are by no means flat and boring as conventional wisdom about the county suggests."
"Though conventional wisdom has held that stringing out the war would favor Russia, it also carries risks for Mr. Putin, doing more damage to his economy and bringing more Western weaponry to bear[…]"

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

conventional wisdoms (plural)

Phrases

as the man says common knowledge common sense idée reçue

Frequently Paired Words

antiproverb as the man says common knowledge common sense idée reçue

Synonyms

received wisdom

Questions

What does conventional wisdom mean?: A belief or set of beliefs that is widely accepted, especially one which may be questionable on close examination.

How to pronounce conventional wisdom

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