pedestrian
Americannoun
adjective
-
going or performed on foot; walking.
-
of or relating to walking.
-
lacking in vitality, imagination, distinction, etc.; commonplace; prosaic or dull.
a pedestrian commencement speech.
noun
adjective
Usage
What does pedestrian mean? A pedestrian is a person who travels by foot—a walker. The term is especially used in the context of road safety to distinguish people walking from people driving or riding bikes.In this sense, the word is also commonly used as an adjective to refer to things involving pedestrians, such as in pedestrian crossing, pedestrian safety, and pedestrian walkway.Example: Pedestrians will continue to be struck by cars unless we improve and enforce pedestrian safety laws. Pedestrian is also a negative term for something considered mediocre, uninspired, or lacking in originality. It’s especially used in artistic criticism, such as in reviews of music, movies, fashion, or food. Calling something pedestrian is typically considered an insult.Example: Don’t you think that sweater is a little pedestrian? You want to dress to impress, right?
Other Word Forms
- nonpedestrian noun
Etymology
Origin of pedestrian
1710–20; < Latin pedestri- (stem of pedester on foot, derivative of pēs (stem ped- ); pedi- ) + -an
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But Mr. Williams understands that telling the story properly requires acknowledging the forgotten citizen of New York City in the 1980s—the wary pedestrian and the terrified straphanger.
They crossed the river on a bridge made just for bicycles and pedestrians before turning onto Third Street.
From Literature
With more ice rain forecast, the German Weather Service meanwhile has advised pedestrians to keep safe by wearing non-slip shoes and adopting a "penguin walk" with small steps.
From Barron's
Rahman said agents yelled threats and conflicting instructions that she couldn’t process while watching for pedestrians.
From Los Angeles Times
Robert Hilburn, The Times’ former pop music critic, called Three Dog Night “a fairly pedestrian hit machine.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
