Phrase guide

garden variety

adj · noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Ordinary, common, or unexceptional.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, not-comparable

Examples

  • I can usually recover from a garden variety cold with rest and fluids.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: common-or-garden, common or garden variety, normal, plain, regular, standard, average, medial, basic, bog-standard, common, commonplace, common-and-garden, congruent, consistent, conventional, customary, everyday, expected, garden variety, improminent, mundane, natural, ordinary, par for the course, par, plain vanilla, quotidian, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard issue, typical, unexceptional, unremarkable, unstrange, usual, vulgar, wakeaday, workaday

Antonyms: abnormal, exotic, extraordinary, special, specialized, uncommon

2

noun

Meaning 2

An ordinary, standard kind.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: common or garden variety, plain Jane, regular, garden variety, standard issue

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • German: Feld-Wald-und-Wiesen- — ordinary
  • German: Feld-, Wald- und Wiesen- — ordinary
  • German: Wald- und Wiesen- — ordinary
  • Hungarian: közönséges — ordinary
  • Hungarian: egyszerű — ordinary
  • Hungarian: hétköznapi — ordinary
  • Hungarian: mezei — ordinary
  • Polish: pospolity — ordinary
  • Polish: zwyczajny — ordinary
  • Russian: обыкновенный (obyknovenny) — ordinary