COMMON SENSE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does common sense mean? 

• COMMON SENSE (noun)
  The noun COMMON SENSE has 1 sense:

1. sound practical judgment

  Familiarity information: COMMON SENSE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COMMON SENSE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Sound practical judgment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

common sense; good sense; gumption; horse sense; mother wit; sense

Context example:

fortunately she had the good sense to run away

Hypernyms ("common sense" is a kind of...):

discernment; judgement; judgment; sagaciousness; sagacity (the mental ability to understand and discriminate between relations)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "common sense"):

logic (reasoned and reasonable judgment)

nous (common sense)

road sense (good judgment in avoiding trouble or accidents on the road)

Derivation:

commonsensical (exhibiting native good judgment)

 Context examples 

Keep to common sense, St. John: you are verging on nonsense.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

He was a heavy young man, with not more than common sense; but as there was nothing disagreeable in his figure or address, the young lady was well pleased with her conquest.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Couldn’t see the necessity for it, nor the common sense.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

"Our young friend makes up for many obvious mental lacunae by some measure of primitive common sense," remarked Challenger.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Mr. Dick,” said my aunt triumphantly, “give me your hand, for your common sense is invaluable.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Yesterday I was almost willing to accept Van Helsing's monstrous ideas; but now they seem to start out lurid before me as outrages on common sense.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

“But, with common sense,” she added, “I am afraid I have had little to do.”

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

On the other hand, practical common sense ruled that he should cash it with his grocer and thereby make an impression that would later result in an increase of credit.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Elinor thought this generosity overstrained, considering her sister's youth, and urged the matter farther, but in vain; common sense, common care, common prudence, were all sunk in Mrs. Dashwood's romantic delicacy.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

False personal beliefs held contrary to reality, despite contradictory evidence and common sense.

(Delusion, NCI Thesaurus)