prosaic

adjective

pro·​sa·​ic prō-ˈzā-ik How to pronounce prosaic (audio)
1
a
: characteristic of prose as distinguished from poetry : factual
b
: dull, unimaginative
prosaic advice
2
: everyday, ordinary
heroic characters wasted in prosaic livesKirkus Reviews
prosaically adverb

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Prosaic Has Literary Origins

In the past, any text that was not poetic was prosaic. Back then, prosaic carried no negative connotations; it simply indicated that a written work was made up of prose. That sense clearly owes much to the meaning of the word's Latin source prosa, meaning "prose." Poetry is viewed, however, as the more beautiful, imaginative, and emotional type of writing, and prose was relegated to the status of mundane and plain-Jane. As a result, English speakers started using prosaic to refer to anything considered matter-of-fact or ordinary, and they gradually transformed it into a synonym for "colorless," "drab," "lifeless," and "lackluster."

Examples of prosaic in a Sentence

For the most part, the descriptions of the books listed in the "Catalog," though informative, are relentlessly prosaic, even hackneyed. Mordecai Richler, New York Times Book Review, 8 Oct. 1989
In addition to the prosaic essentials of life—wheat, rice, and salt—the Portuguese found exotic stores of pepper, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and other spices. Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983
There is, of course, an ordinary medicine, an everyday medicine, humdrum, prosaic, a medicine for stubbed toes, quinsies, bunions, and boils … Oliver Sacks, Awakenings, 1973
… where did he get his money? He had to eat and drink, buy apparatus and chemicals, even pay the poor rate. Where did he get the common coin to meet such unavoidable if prosaic obligations? Flann O'Brien, The Dalkey Archive, 1964
He has a prosaic writing style. the prosaic life of a hardworking farmer She believes the noises are made by ghosts, but I think there's a more prosaic explanation.
Recent Examples on the Web Large expanses of glass were included to bring the outside in, a prosaic idea in contemporary design today but a fairly radical one at the time, and open-air atriums enhanced the integration between indoor and outdoor spaces. Mark David, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024 The bread and butter of thieves are the most prosaic cars, like Mr. Wilson’s Honda CR-V, or Ford F-150 trucks. Vjosa Isai, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for prosaic 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prosaic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin prosaicus, from Latin prosa prose

First Known Use

1692, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of prosaic was in 1692

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Dictionary Entries Near prosaic

Cite this Entry

“Prosaic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prosaic. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

prosaic

adjective
pro·​sa·​ic prō-ˈzā-ik How to pronounce prosaic (audio)
: being dull, ordinary, or uninteresting
prosaically adverb

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