pedestrian

adjective pe·des·tri·an \ pə-ˈde-strē-ən \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Examples: pedestrian in a Sentence

Editor's Note: How Should You Use pedestrian?

Definition of pedestrian

1 : commonplace, unimaginative

his sentences and phrases are too often pedestrian, commonplace, and flat
—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

2 a : going or performed on foot

pedestrian traffic

a pedestrian tour of the village

b : of, relating to, or designed for walking

a pedestrian mall

a pedestrian bridge

See pedestrian defined for English-language learners

See pedestrian defined for kids

Examples of pedestrian in a Sentence

He lived a pedestrian life, working at the paper mill and living in his trailer.
pedestrian concerns like paying the bills and getting the kids to school on time

Recent Examples of pedestrian from the Web

In work beginning in the fall, 2016, and lasting about a year, both received smoother grading and far better pedestrian accessibility.

— bill banks, ajc, "Decatur still waiting on state-of-the art traffic cabinets," 12 July 2018
This may seem relatively pedestrian compared to, say, the exciting worlds of robotics or augmented reality.

— james vincent, The Verge, "Apple’s new AI chief might actually be the right person to fix Siri," 11 July 2018
The assessment will look at parking, traffic, and pedestrian safety issues along the nearly 2-mile corridor.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Thompson Awarded $170,000 Brownfield Remediation Grant," 10 July 2018
After her family was stopped on the bridge, Gomez cast a wary eye at the guardrail separating the pedestrian lane from the vehicle lanes.

— maria sacchetti, Washington Post, "‘If we’re all together, I can handle it’," 9 July 2018
In recent years, new visions for streetscaping and urban planning are helping the street rediscover its pedestrian roots.

— patrick sisson, Curbed, "10 Streets that Changed America," 5 July 2018
Your hot dog deserves more than just a pedestrian squirt of mustard.

— mallorie sullivan, Cincinnati.com, "Fourth of July food: Here are 9 last-minute recipes your guests will love," 3 July 2018
Crews will build a new Montlake interchange, a landscaped lid over Highway 520, a bicycle/pedestrian land bridge east of the lid, and a new approach bridge for eastbound traffic heading over the lake.

— michelle baruchman, The Seattle Times, "Summer update: What’s next for transportation projects in Puget Sound area," 1 July 2018
But the first part of the all-pedestrian path wraps around a huge railroad yard for the Long Island Railroad.

— scott mcmurren, Anchorage Daily News, "Surprises await when you explore the green spaces of New York City," 30 June 2018

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

How Should You Use pedestrian?

Most of us know pedestrian as a noun meaning someone who travels on foot. But the adjective sense of pedestrian as defined here is actually its original meaning. To be pedestrian was to be drab or dull, as if plodding along on foot rather than speeding on horseback or by coach. Pedestrian is often used to describe a colorless or lifeless writing style, but it can also describe politicians, public tastes, personal qualities, or possessions. In comparison with the elaborate stage shows put on by today's rock artists, for instance, most of the stage presentations of 1960s rock stars seem pedestrian.

Origin and Etymology of pedestrian

Latin pedestr-, pedester, literally, going on foot, from ped-, pes foot — more at foot

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1716

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

pedestrian Synonyms

pedestrian

noun

Definition of pedestrian

: a person going on foot : walker

See pedestrian defined for English-language learners

Examples of pedestrian in a Sentence

The car slid off the road and almost hit a group of pedestrians.

Recent Examples of pedestrian from the Web

What’s more, a majority of pedestrians, distracted or not, did not commit violations which might make a crash more likely.

— alissa walker, Curbed, "Why the ‘distracted pedestrian’ is a myth," 21 June 2018
Much to the chagrin — and fear — of pedestrians, the scooters often whiz down sidewalks in violation of state vehicle codes.

— matier & ross, San Francisco Chronicle, "Rules in the works as city offers olive branch in scooter war," 22 Apr. 2018
During the confrontation, Norris demanded two of the pedestrians empty their pockets.

— cynthia sewell, idahostatesman, "He said he was on a path to 'positive change.' Then came prison time, & the shootout," 5 July 2018
Officials in New York want to avoid setting off more chaos in a crowded city where hordes of pedestrians already compete for street space with honking cars and flocks of cyclists.

— New York Times, "New Era for Bike-Share in New York: Dockless and Electric Bikes," 3 July 2018
Just more than half of the pedestrians killed were women.

— allie gross, Detroit Free Press, "Death on foot: Detroit leads large cities in pedestrian deaths," 2 July 2018
Ronaldo has also dressed up as an old, scruffy looking man in the past who appears to have no footballing ability, before taking to the streets to perform freestyle skills in front of confused pedestrians.

— SI.com, "6 of the Biggest Pranksters in Football," 17 June 2018
Today, Mercedes models with Intelligent Drive get closer to real self-driving because the system can help steer clear of pedestrians and avoid other accidents.

— Fortune, "Who’s Winning the Self-Driving Car Race?," 31 May 2018
Lime Depending on how many scooters the data team tells operations coordinators to drop, Li and his team will line them up along the sidewalk — out of the way of pedestrians — and will pick a spot where there is enough space for both.

— johana bhuiyan, Recode, "This is how Lime moves around and charges their dockless scooters in San Francisco," 20 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of pedestrian

see ¹pedestrian

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1770

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

PEDESTRIAN Defined for English Language Learners

pedestrian

adjective

Definition of pedestrian for English Language Learners

: not interesting or unusual
: relating to or designed for people who are walking

pedestrian

noun

Definition of pedestrian for English Language Learners

: a person who is walking in a city, along a road, etc.

PEDESTRIAN Defined for Kids

pedestrian

noun pe·des·tri·an \ pə-ˈdes-trē-ən \

Definition of pedestrian for Students

: a person who is walking

Word Root of pedestrian

The Latin word pes, meaning “foot,” and its form pedis give us the root ped. A pedestrian is a person who travels on foot. Before trains, planes, and cars, an expedition, or journey, was often carried out by foot. An impediment makes movement or progress difficult, as if getting in the way of the feet.