mundane

[muhn-deyn, muhn-deyn]

adjective

1. common; ordinary; banal; unimaginative.

2. of or relating to this world or earth as contrasted with heaven; worldly; earthly.

   mundane affairs.

   Synonyms: temporal, secular

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

mundane

/ ˈmʌndeɪn, mʌnˈdeɪn /

adjective

1. everyday, ordinary, or banal

2. relating to the world or worldly matters

Other Word Forms

• mundanely adverb
• mundaneness noun
• mundanity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mundane¹

First recorded in 1425–75; from Latin mundānus, equivalent to mund(us) “world” + -ānus -ane; replacing late Middle English mondeyne, from Middle French mondain, from Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of mundane¹

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

Synonym Study

See earthly.

Example Sentences

Friendship reaffirmed, they then made time to hang out, even through the "mundane connection" of tidying together.

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“People are obsessed with the most mundane things. Like, we praise mediocrity nowadays.”

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She has a preternatural ability to find resonance in whatever catches her eye, no matter how mundane it might seem, so it’s hard to imagine her running out of material.

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Beneath the supernatural grotesqueries, Mr. King reflects on the mundane horrors—insularity, seediness and dead ends—of American small-town life.

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Queuing for "pleasurable activities" - like shopping for luxury items, a bargain, or delicious food - creates a "distinctly different" feeling to queuing for something more mundane like buying your groceries, she says.

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Related Words

• banal 
• day-to-day 
• everyday 
• humdrum 
• normal 
• prosaic 
• workaday