everyday

American  

[ev-ree-dey, ev-ree-dey] / ˈɛv riˌdeɪ, ˈɛv riˈdeɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to every day; daily.

   an everyday occurrence.

2. of or for ordinary days, as contrasted with Sundays, holidays, or special occasions.

   everyday clothes.

   Synonyms:

   usual, common, workday

3. such as is met with every day; ordinary; commonplace.

   a placid, everyday scene.

   Synonyms:

   usual, common, workday

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noun

1. the routine or ordinary day or occasion.

   We use inexpensive plates for everyday.

everyday British  

/ ˈɛvrɪˌdeɪ /

adjective

1. happening each day; daily

2. commonplace or usual; ordinary

3. suitable for or used on ordinary days as distinct from Sundays or special days

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Usage

What’s the difference between everyday and every day? Everyday is most commonly used as an adjective meaning daily or, in a more figurative sense, ordinary, as in an everyday occurrence. The phrase every day means each day—it functions as an adverb to describe how frequently an action is done, as in I try to exercise every day. Think of it this way: everyday is used to describe nouns, while every day is used to describe verbs. For example, a person might aspire to go for a run every day, eat vegetables every day, and read every day. If they did these things every day (or most days), these activities would constitute part of their everyday routine. If you can replace the term with regular or ordinary, use everyday. If you can replace it with each day, use every day. Careful—the word daily can be used to replace both terms in certain situations (such as I exercise every day and This is one of my everyday exercises). Here’s an example of everyday and every day used correctly in the same sentence. Example: Every day this week I’ve tried to change one thing about my everyday routine. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between everyday and every day.

Other Word Forms

• everydayness noun

Etymology

Origin of everyday

First recorded in 1325–75, everyday is from the Middle English word everydayes. See every, day

Explanation

Something routine or ordinary is called everyday. Your everyday chores, your everyday clothes, your everyday activities — these things make up everyday life. The adjective everyday describes the common things that you generally do as part of a regular day — doing the dishes in an everyday task — but it can also have the sense of “ordinary,” like the casual everyday clothes you wear when you’re not doing anything special. Make sure you spell everyday as one word: everyday. Every day, which carries the more literal sense of something that’s done every day, is spelled as two words.

Example Sentences

On days when participants felt more mentally alert, they were more likely to set goals and complete them, whether tackling schoolwork or everyday tasks like making dinner.

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026

In this Money Talks: Elizabeth Spiers is joined by psychologist Dr. Leanne ten Brinke whose new book, Poisonous People, explores the impact that people with psychopathic and related personality traits have on our everyday lives.

From Slate • Apr. 14, 2026

I want to study the people, because there are everyday people who built and lived here.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Mamdani pointed to a program to fill city street potholes -- over 100,000 since January 1 -- as evidence he is committed to making the lives of everyday New Yorkers better.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

I wondered when was the last time the government had tried to improve National Highway 1, but I wondered even more about the visible desperation of everyday lives.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• commonplace
• frequent
• mundane
• normal
• ordinary
• prosaic
• usual
• workaday