mundane

[muhn-deyn, muhn-deyn]

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adjective

common; ordinary; banal; unimaginative.

of or relating to this world or earth as contrasted with heaven; worldly; earthly: mundane affairs.

of or relating to the world, universe, or earth.

Origin of mundane

1425–75; < Latin mundānus, equivalent to mund(us) world + -ānus -ane; replacing late Middle English mondeyne < Middle French mondain < Latin, as above

Related formsmun·dane·ly, adverbmun·dane·ness, noun

Synonyms for mundane

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2. secular, temporal. See earthly.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for mundane

prosaic, normal, humdrum, banal, everyday, workaday, day-to-day, commonplace, earthly, lowly, routine, worldly, workday

Examples from the Web for mundane

Contemporary Examples of mundane

Even the most mundane experiences seem extraordinary when lovingly rendered by Kalman.
The Singular Artist of New Yorkistan
Lizzie Crocker
November 14, 2014
The acts ranged from the mundane to the unexpected: Assisted a tourist with directions because he looked lost.
It’s Official: Religion Doesn’t Make You More Moral
Elizabeth Picciuto
September 23, 2014
Quality can be found in the most mundane works of man—even within the rusting gears of a motorcycle engine.
Zen, Motorcycles, And The Cult of Tech: How Robert Pirsig’s Classic Anticipated the Future
Nathaniel Rich
August 31, 2014
Behind the mundane complaining for its own sake, though, a new problem affecting allergies may be brewing: global warming.
Blame Climate Change for Your Terrible Seasonal Allergies
Kent Sepkowitz
May 14, 2014
For some reason, the most mundane sex had also been the least explored by writers.
The Climax of ‘Portnoy’s Complaint’
Robert Hofler
May 14, 2014

Historical Examples of mundane

Let our men of mundane warfare do their best—it will be useless.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930
Various
Mundane's name was in big letters, and you could just see mine with the naked eye.
Changing Winds
St. John G. Ervine
Then, and not before, she may address herself to mundane things.
Ireland as It Is
Robert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)
The boy looked up with his first gleam of interest in mundane things.
David Dunne
Belle Kanaris Maniates
All mundane phenomena were inexplicably contorted that night.
A Great Man
Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for mundane

mundane

adjective

everyday, ordinary, or banal

relating to the world or worldly matters

Derived Formsmundanely, adverbmundanity or mundaneness, noun

Word Origin for mundane

C15: from French mondain, via Late Latin, from Latin mundus world

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for mundane

adj.

mid-15c., "of this world," from Old French mondain "of this world, worldly, earthly, secular;" also "pure, clean; noble, generous" (12c.), from Late Latin mundanus "belonging to the world" (as distinct from the Church), in classical Latin "a citizen of the world, cosmopolite," from mundus "universe, world," literally "clean, elegant"; used as a translation of Greek khosmos (see cosmos) in its Pythagorean sense of "the physical universe" (the original sense of the Greek word was "orderly arrangement"). Latin mundus also was used of a woman's "ornaments, dress," and is related to the adjective mundus "clean, elegant" (used of women's dress, etc.). Related: Mundanely.