commonality

/ˌkɒmənˈæləti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌkɑːmənˈæləti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌkä-mə-ˈna-lə-tē/ (ame, mw)

commonality — noun

  • commonalitysingular
  • commonalitiesplural

1. the situation where two or more people, groups, or things share certain interest

1.名詞C1
釋義

the situation where two or more people, groups, or things share certain interests, experiences, or qualities, especially in a way that creates a connection between them

例句

Leo and Arjun discovered a surprising commonality during the long train ride to Kyoto.

commonality between two named people in a shared situation

The teacher asked the students to find one commonality between their grandparents and themselves.

commonality between [group A] and [group B]

同義詞
  • common ground

    more informal; usually about agreement in opinions or negotiation

  • kinship

    stronger emotional bond; suggests feeling like family

  • affinity

    natural liking or attraction, often felt without explicit reason

反義詞
  • difference

    general opposite; less formal

  • disparity

    formal; emphasises measurable gap or inequality

文法句型

commonality with [someone]

commonality between [groups]

用法筆記

Frequently appears with 'between', 'with', or 'among', and often pairs with quantifiers such as 'little', 'no', 'much', or 'a surprising'. The uncountable use names the relationship of sharing itself; for individual shared traits, see sense 2 (the plural 'commonalities').

常見錯誤

❌They have a big commonality the same hobby.
✅They share a commonality in the same hobby.
💡'commonality' needs a preposition (in / between / with) to connect to what is shared.
❌Marco found one commonality the other students.
✅Marco found one commonality with the other students.
💡use 'with' when naming the people you share something with.

2. a particular characteristic, habit, or quality that two or more people, groups,

2.名詞C1
釋義

a particular characteristic, habit, or quality that two or more people, groups, or things both possess, treated as a single item that can be counted and listed

例句

Yael listed three commonalities between the two writers' early novels for her literature essay.

countable use: 'three commonalities between A and B'

Xiu's research mapped the linguistic commonalities of village dialects along the river valley.

the commonalities of [a group of things]

同義詞
  • similarity

    everyday word; broader and less formal

  • parallel

    often used in analysis or argument; suggests structural matching

  • shared feature

    plain descriptive paraphrase used in informal writing

反義詞
  • contrast

    highlights a noticeable difference rather than a shared trait

文法句型

the commonalities of [X]

commonalities between [A] and [B]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 by countability: when you can put a number in front ('three commonalities') or list the items, this is sense 2. Sense 1 is the abstract relationship; sense 2 is each specific shared trait.

常見錯誤

❌I noticed many commonality in their work.
✅I noticed many commonalities in their work.
💡when counted, use the plural 'commonalities'.