conventional wisdom

noun

: the generally accepted belief, opinion, judgment, or prediction about a particular matter

Examples of conventional wisdom in a Sentence

Conventional wisdom in Hollywood says that a movie can't succeed unless it stars a famous actor or actress.
Recent Examples on the Web Join 3 others in the comments View Comments But in today’s history-defying economy, conventional wisdom has sometimes proven useless. Bryan Mena, CNN, 3 Aug. 2024 Walter Shapiro, a political reporter who covered 12 presidential elections for leading magazines and newspapers, puncturing conventional wisdom with unconventional insight and brightening the campaign trail with his inimitable wit, died July 21 at a hospital in Manhattan. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 22 July 2024 In an op-ed for Project Syndicate, the executive chairman of the financial advisory and asset management firm said the top court’s ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises et al v. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce is actually anti-business, contrary to conventional wisdom. Jason Ma, Fortune, 20 July 2024 Powell, in contrast, has stuck to the genres that conventional wisdom has long held were dead: Romantic comedies. Constance Grady, Vox, 18 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for conventional wisdom 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conventional wisdom.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of conventional wisdom was in 1838

Dictionary Entries Near conventional wisdom

Cite this Entry

“Conventional wisdom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conventional%20wisdom. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.

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