mainstream

/ˌmeɪnˈstrim/

/ˈmeɪnstrim/

Other forms: mainstreams

Mainstream describes what's viewed by most people in a society as "normal," like the mainstream view that everyone should get married, move to the suburbs, and have children as soon as they can.

Something that's mainstream is conventional, or the usual way of doing things. If you're talking about the mainstream in fashion, you mean the ordinary clothes that most people wear and which is found in all the malls — nothing too weird or outlandish. In the 1600s, mainstream described the prevailing current of a river, with the first recorded use of its meaning of prevailing taste or opinion in 1831.

Definitions of mainstream

1. noun

   the prevailing current of thought
   “his thinking was in the American mainstream”

   type of:

   thought

   the organized beliefs of a period or group or individual
2. adjective

   adhering to what is commonly accepted
   synonyms: orthodox

   conservative

   resistant to change

   antiheretical

   opposed to heresy

   canonic, canonical, sanctioned

   conforming to orthodox or recognized rules

   conforming, conformist

   adhering to established customs or doctrines (especially in religion)

   conventional, established

   conforming with accepted standards

   traditional

   pertaining to time-honored orthodox doctrines

   unreformed

   unaffected by the Reformation

   standard

   established or well-known or widely recognized as a model of authority or excellence