quotidian

American  

[kwoh-tid-ee-uhn] / kwoʊˈtɪd i ən /

adjective

1. occurring as part of the normal or expected order of things; usual or customary; everyday.

   Her biographer delved into the most routine and quotidian parts of her life to paint a fuller picture of his subject.

2. of no special quality or interest; ordinary; commonplace.

   His paintings are pleasant to look at, but show nothing more than quotidian talent.

3. done, happening, or given daily.

   We recommend quotidian dialysis for the patient.

4. (of a fever or disease) characterized by the recurring daily intensification of symptoms.

   Malarial fevers tend to be quotidian, with daily attacks lasting up to 12 hours before abating.

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noun

1. something that is characteristic of everyday life.

   Their writing focuses on the quotidian and mundane.

   It's easy to get stuck in the quotidian and forget to try new things.

2. Archaic. a fever or disease characterized by the recurring daily intensification of symptoms.

quotidian British  

/ kwəʊˈtɪdɪən /

adjective

1. (esp of attacks of malarial fever) recurring daily

2. everyday; commonplace

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noun

1. a malarial fever characterized by attacks that recur daily

Other Word Forms

• quotidianly
  adverb
• quotidianness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of quotidian

1300–50; < Latin quotīdiānus, cottīdiānus daily, equivalent to cottīdi ( ē ) every day (adv.) ( *quot ( t ) ī a locative form akin to quot however many occur, every + diē, ablative of diēs day; cf. meridian) + -ānus -an; replacing Middle English cotidien < Old French < Latin, as above

Explanation

Quotidian is a fancy way of saying "daily" or "ordinary." Quotidian events are the everyday details of life. When you talk about the quotidian, you're talking about the little things in life: everyday events that are normal and not that exciting. Going to the store, doing chores, working or going to school, and brushing your teeth are all quotidian. If you take a spaceship to Mars, that would be unusual and extraordinary: the opposite of quotidian.

Example Sentences

Puppets create a liminal space between the quotidian and the fantastic, while inhabiting the same, actual three-dimensional space as the rest of us.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

And as a wealthy man immune to many of the struggles of other financial demographics, he wanted to continue avoiding quotidian struggles.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

Isn’t the idea to get as far away as possible from your quotidian existence?

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

Enthusiasts of the Dutch and Flemish Golden Age will be delighted to learn of the more quotidian arts that rounded out this visually rich epoch: hand-wrought lace, calligraphy, botanical illustrations and more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

This theory is bound to provoke a variety of reactions, ranging from disbelief to revulsion, and a variety of objections, ranging from the quotidian to the moral.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt