mundane

adjective mun·dane \ ˌmən-ˈdān , ˈmən-ˌ \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: mundane in a Sentence

Definition of mundane

1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of the world

2 : characterized by the practical, transitory, and ordinary : commonplace

the mundane concerns of day-to-day life

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mundanely

adverb

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mundaneness

play \-ˈdān-nəs, -ˌdān-\ noun

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mundanity

play \ˌmən-ˈdā-nə-tē\ noun

See mundane defined for English-language learners

See mundane defined for kids

Examples of mundane in a Sentence

On him, a mundane navy blazer looked like an Armani dinner jacket; around him, a dusky locker room became the chandeliered lobby of the Savoy. —Curry Kirkpatrick, ESPN, 19 Mar. 2001
How did our ancestors pass from the mundane activity of counting to the concept of 'number' in the abstract, devoid of any particular collection of objects to label? —John D. Barrow, Pi in the Sky, 1992
They decided on buttock tattoos, rather than the more mundane engagement ring, because a tattoo is permanent. You can always pawn a ring. —Mike Royko, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 1988
The day began with the mundane business of getting my white chiffon dress shortened … —Lady Bird Johnson, January 14, 1964, in A White House Diary, 1970
mundane chores, like washing dishes
They lead a pretty mundane life.
prayer and meditation helped her put her mundane worries aside

Recent Examples of mundane from the Web

Everyone’s life is filled with mundane small talk and, besides, nothing brings people together like shared petty gripes.

— thomas harlander, Los Angeles Magazine, "I Live in Los Angeles and Everything You Assume About Me Is True," 7 June 2018
The show’s most intriguing thematic decisions, unfortunately, are often undercut by muddy writing about the mundane indignities women endure.

— hannah giorgis, The Atlantic, "Dietland Envisions a World of Female Revenge," 5 June 2018
The Asus ZenBook Pro has always strived to offer a balance between price and performance, but its appearance settled upon the relatively mundane.

— mark hachman, PCWorld, "Asus ScreenPad transforms the ZenBook Pro's touchpad into a magical video screen," 4 June 2018
My days had been tethered by the mostly wonderful and sometimes mundane tasks of raising kids, from carpools to preschool schedules and PTA meetings to nightly readings of Go Dog Go.

— ginny brzezinski /, NBC News, "Handling empty nest syndrome," 1 June 2018
Context is important in exploring these questions, Morrison said, and communications that look mundane could mean more when looked at in a whole strategy.

— craig lyons, Post-Tribune, "Potential privileged emails in Portage mayor's corruption case complicated, expert says," 1 June 2018
Harassers are often among us in more mundane settings: at work, on the street, on campus, at our local watering holes.

— elizabeth kiefer, Glamour, "What to Do When Someone You Know Has Been Accused of Sexual Harassment," 30 May 2018
Previous archaeological work at Jerash has mostly focused on individual sites or on standing monumental architecture rather than more subtle or mundane aspects of city life, even though the latter is what kept its residents alive.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "Decades of aerial photos reveal how an ancient desert city got its water," 30 May 2018
Behind the Babchenko saga, however, a more mundane but grinding campaign is going on against journalists, media critics say.

— fred weir, The Christian Science Monitor, "As world watches 'murdered' reporter case, Ukraine media crackdown grinds on," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mundane.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of mundane

Middle English mondeyne, from Anglo-French mundain, from Late Latin mundanus, from Latin mundus world

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

mundane Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of mundane

earthly, worldly, mundane mean belonging to or characteristic of the earth. earthly often implies a contrast with what is heavenly or spiritual.

- abandoned earthly concerns and entered a convent

worldly and mundane both imply a relation to the immediate concerns and activities of human beings, worldly suggesting tangible personal gain or gratification