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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.

Workaday rigs are needed for jobs like data loading and storage management.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

Workaday solar wind would pose a health risk only to astronauts traveling outside Earth's protective magnetic field, to deep-space locations such as the moon or Mars.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 1, 2018

One of the success stories is Forrest Lewinger, 31, whose studio, Workaday Handmade, produces cups with marbleized glazes, earthy bowls with hand-carved geometric patterns, and ivory-colored vases with a confetti-like spatter of blue.

From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2015

Workaday TV shows, procedurals, sitcoms, long-running dramas, change showrunners all the time.

From Salon • May 17, 2012

The first one was called Hulta, "Workaday," and she was in attendance upon Esther on Sundays.

From The Legends of the Jews — Volume 4 by Radin, Paul