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

Edickson, Frandy, Orianny and Yerian — out of the classroom, showing us moments of intimacy with their families and friends while also giving us a slice of quotidian life in Cabarete. —Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026

In a refrain that should strike a familiar chord with Netflix investors, Neumann emphasized that more quotidian partnerships aren’t necessarily a great fit for the service. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Mar. 2026

Throughout the Lévy Gorvy Dayan exhibition are Gnoli’s quotidian observations, beginning with Striped Trousers (1969) and Curly Red Hair (1969). —Stephanie Sporn, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2026

And yet, for all the entrancing beaches, greenery, and open skies, violence is very present in Bebo and Charlie’s quotidian experiences. —Carlos Aguilar, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 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