Words / C2

kwo-TID-ee-uh-n/kwɒˈtɪdiən/

Quotidian means ordinary and happening every day: the quotidian details of office life. Everyday is the plain synonym; ordinary is close; mundane can sound duller; daily is factual. Formal, slightly showy — using quotidian too often becomes the joke. In speech, everyday or ordinary is almost always better. It describes routine reality, not trivia you should ignore.

Meaning

Ordinary and happening every day (formal).

Examples

• “She wrote about the quotidian details of office life.”
• “She made the quotidian queue at the printer sound like a moral test.”
• “Policy fails in quotidian practice: who unlocks the room, who has the key.”

Good to know

Everyday; routine (formal). Everyday word: everyday / ordinary. Close: mundane. Easy to sound pretentious; use sparingly.

Near in meaning

everyday

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