familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized.
a familiar melody
popular applies to what is accepted by or prevalent among people in general sometimes in contrast to upper classes or special groups.
a writer of popular romances
vulgar, otherwise similar to popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness).
souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste
Example Sentences
Adjective They have a common ancestor. The people on the island have a sense of common identity. It is common practice for one town's fire department to help another town when there is a big fire. Electric windows are a common feature in new cars. “Smith” is a common name. I think some of the most common flowers are also some of the prettiest. cures for the common coldNoun The campus has several dining commons. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In recent years, data breaches such as this have become increasingly common. Jacob Siegal, BGR, 14 Sep. 2022 Fentanyl overdose deaths — particularly accidental fentanyl overdoses — have become increasingly common in the U.S. in recent years. Tommy Mcardle, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2022 Members of the Palos Heights Police Department join firefighters, medical workers and school staff for drills at schools as school shootings seem to become more common. Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 14 Sep. 2022 That’s one view of the future: To state the obvious, these unusually intense heat waves are going to become more common under climate change, which is making heat waves generally more frequent, more intense, and longer-lasting. Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2022 As has become common, the Emmys were largely awarded to streaming and premium TV programs that generally attract smaller audiences than the most popular broadcast shows, even with the decline in viewership of linear TV. Brian Lowry, CNN, 13 Sep. 2022 Heatwaves like these are expected to become much more common in places unaccustomed to such weather, as happened this summer when scorching temperatures in the U.K. caused airport tarmacs to melt. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 13 Sep. 2022 Cyberattacks targeted at school districts across the country have become more common. Beck Andrew Salgado, Journal Sentinel, 9 Sep. 2022 And as severe weather events become more common, the need for better information will become even more essential. Erin Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Sep. 2022
Noun
Tennessee Williams’s Memoirs is next to a biography of Patrick Dennis called Uncle Mame, because Williams and Dennis had many things in common: Pathos. Leslie Kendall Dye, The Atlantic, 19 June 2022 My friend and his wife live on the edge of a park, not a former common but land that was levelled by German bombing. Eula Biss, The New Yorker, 8 June 2022 The war in Vietnam had increasingly divided Lexington—thousands of residents had turned out in 1969 to rally on the common for a moratorium in the fighting. Bill Mckibben, The New Yorker, 1 May 2022 In 2020, the display was scaled down significantly — with just 1,000 flags lining the common.BostonGlobe.com, 24 May 2021 For all their differences, every ACAAN has one feature in common: At some point, the magician touches the cards.New York Times, 23 May 2021 Even politicians who have little in common seemed to unite in their misgivings about the league.Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2021 These short stories share a common through line of death and darkness, and they’re written from the supposition that day-to-day life isn’t mundane, but aggressively (and hilariously) cruel. Brian Boone, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2021 Overuse of national parks is often cited as an example of the tragedy of the commons, an economic theory that describes how people sometimes use natural resources to their advantage without considering the good of society as a whole.National Geographic, 24 Mar. 2020 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Noun
Middle English commun, from Anglo-French, from Latin communis — more at mean