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Showing results for workaday. Search instead for Workyday.
Synonyms

workaday

American  
[wur-kuh-dey] / ˈwɜr kəˌdeɪ /

adjective

  1. of or befitting working days; characteristic of a workday and its occupations.

  2. ordinary; commonplace; everyday; prosaic.


workaday British  
/ ˈwɜːkəˌdeɪ /

adjective

  1. being a part of general human experience; ordinary

  2. suitable for working days; everyday or practical

"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

Etymology

Origin of workaday

1150–1200; alteration (probably after nowadays ) of earlier worky-day workday, alteration (by association with holiday ) of Middle English werkeday, obscurely derived from work and day

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.

In a 1991 interview, Kurosawa recalled the origins of “Seven Samurai” as a story about the workaday existence of a single samurai.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

After wrestling with those weighty questions, he posed a more workaday one: “What’s gonna be the gas price tomorrow?”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2025

This fundamentally misunderstands the appeal of conspiracies, though, which is that it’s more fun and exciting to believe in them instead of in workaday truths.

From Slate • May 24, 2025

It was for ceremonial occasions, and upstairs there were some workaday offices.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2024

She had also found time to wash and mend my workaday clothing, and patch my tom shoe.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood