quotidian

adjective

quo·​tid·​i·​an kwō-ˈti-dē-ən 

1

: occurring every day

quotidian fever

2

a

: belonging to each day : everyday

quotidian routine

b

: commonplace, ordinary

quotidian drabness

quotidian noun

Did you know?

In William Shakespeare's play As You Like It, the character Rosalind observes that Orlando, who has been running about in the woods carving her name on trees and hanging love poems on branches, "seems to have the quotidian of love upon him." The Bard's use doesn't make it clear that quotidian comes from a Latin word, quotidie, which means "every day." But as odd as it may seem, his use of quotidian is just a short semantic step away from the "daily" adjective sense. Some fevers come and go but occur daily; in medical use, these are called "quotidian fevers" or simply "quotidians." Poor Orlando is afflicted with such a "fever" of love.

Synonyms of quotidian

• usual
• ubiquitous
• commonplace
• familiar
• ordinary
• common
• household

Examples of quotidian in a Sentence

not content with the quotidian quarrels that other couples had, they had rows that shook the entire neighborhood

plagued by a quotidian coughing fit, the result of years of smoking

Recent Examples on the Web

These days, film and TV markets seem to be more about providing intelligence on a rapidly changing industry, rather than the quotidian business of signing deals memos. —Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2026

Thus begins Gisèle Pelicot’s searing, unforgettable, and strangely beautiful memoir, with the peaceful, deliberate, quotidian details of her and her husband’s retirement in Mazan, a small town in the South of France. —Helen Schulman, Air Mail, 21 Feb. 2026

The luckiest among us endure these quotidian absurdities indirectly, via news stories and social media feeds, their consequences delayed until sometime in the future. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026

In the absence of a community process which provides emotional and psychological checks and balances, participants can carry distorted perceptions about themselves into the quotidian world. —Erica Rex, STAT, 19 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cotidian, from Anglo-French, from Latin quotidianus, cotidianus, from quotidie every day, from quot (as) many as + dies day — more at deity

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for quotidian

• ascidian
• dravidian
• obsidian
• enchiridion
• gideon
• lydian

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Medical Definition

quotidian

1 of 2 adjective

quo·​tid·​i·​an kwō-ˈtid-ē-ən 

: occurring every day

quotidian fever

quotidian

2 of 2 noun

: something (as an intermittent fever) that occurs each day