English · Proverb Attested

common sense is neither common nor sensical

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Many assumptions that people make through intuition, popular culture, or 'common sense' turn out to be incorrect.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Nhiều giả định dựa trên trực giác, văn hóa đại chúng hoặc 'trí thông minh chung' thường bị chứng minh là sai

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

In fact, much of what we call common sense is neither common, nor sensical. We use the hindsight bias to pretend facts which come to us were apparent all along. As a result we rob ourselves of the strangeness that lies ahead.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “common sense is neither common nor sensical” mean?

Many assumptions that people make through intuition, popular culture, or 'common sense' turn out to be incorrect.

Is “common sense is neither common nor sensical” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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