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.
These gates can be closed by California Highway Patrol officials when deemed necessary to restrict both vehicle and pedestrian entry to help ensure public safety, said Wonder.
From Los Angeles Times
He noted that drivers traveling downhill toward the intersection often gain speed and may not anticipate pedestrians crossing.
From Los Angeles Times
Those potential improvements include sidewalk repairs and a revitalized pedestrian pathway from the Chinatown Metro station to the bridge across the 110 and then across Stadium Way, to Lookout Drive and the hill above.
From Los Angeles Times
The projections could change all that and even create enough of a ruckus to get a reluctant, car-crazed city to make that Grand Avenue block pedestrian.
From Los Angeles Times
With most of the square blocked, pedestrians have to take long detours, and those who had planned for other events in the area are uncertain of what happens now.
From BBC
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.
