1
: characterized by the practical, temporary, and ordinary : commonplace
the mundane concerns of day-to-day life
… the National Gallery had paid too little heed to mundane questions of security.—
Edward Dolnick
Edward Dolnick2
: of, relating to, or characteristic of life on Earth rather than spiritual things
Humans continually petition the gods for mundane services, from winning sporting events to saving their jobs to curing illness to bringing world peace …—Gregory S. Paul
Gregory S. PaulExamples 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
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 on the Web
But most of the messages were more mundane, such as highlighting support for requiring voters to provide identification at the polls.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
And yet, Waltz’s affable, wooden interpretation flattens the role and makes the movie’s moral center read as oddly mundane.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Feb. 2026
The Maryland political world recently took note of a candidate filing with more emotional extremes than normally meet such a mundane occurrence.
—Kevin Igoe, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2026
Media night softened it temporarily and made entertainment out of the mundane practice of reporting.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mundane
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
And yet, Waltz’s affable, wooden interpretation flattens the role and makes the movie’s moral center read as oddly mundane.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Feb. 2026
The Maryland political world recently took note of a candidate filing with more emotional extremes than normally meet such a mundane occurrence.
—Kevin Igoe, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2026
Media night softened it temporarily and made entertainment out of the mundane practice of reporting.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mundane
Cite this Entry
“Mundane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mundane. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
