Common Sense
Colonial independence argument
Common sense is practical judgment about everyday matters—the kind of thinking that doesn't require specialized knowledge or formal reasoning.
It encompasses basic truths most people accept: Common sense tells you not to touch a hot stove.
The term often implies obviousness: It's just common sense.
What counts as common sense varies by culture and era, and appeals to it sometimes dismiss legitimate complexity: That's a common-sense solution may mean "obvious to me" rather than genuinely universal.
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
- practical wisdomSound judgment in action
- intuitionInstinctive immediate understanding
- practicalSuited for real use
- judgmentReasoned decision-making capacity
good judgment · logic · clear thinking · obvious · reasonable · street smarts · gut feeling · prudence · discernment · naive · foolish · stupid · instinct · everyday · basic · natural · real world · mother wit
- American RevolutionDeclaration of Independence, Boston Tea Party, Continental Congress, founding fathers, Stamp Act
- Great BooksMeditations, Leviathan, The Prince, Utopia, Walden
- Reform Writingmuckraking, exposés, investigative reports, slave narratives, manifestos
- Paine WorksAge of Reason
- American BooksTo Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter, Catch-22, Walden
- Colonial Americanacolonial laws, almanacs, Benjamin Franklin, William Bradford, Thomas Paine
Common Sensefoolishness
Unwise conduct
stupidity · absurdity · irrationality · nonsense · folly
Common Sensespecialized knowledge
Focused skill in one area
esoteric knowledge · expertise · technical knowledge · arcane knowledge · occult knowledge
common, sense, commonly, commonness, commoner, commonest, uncommon, uncommonly, commonality