Definition of mundanenext
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Synonym Chooser

How is the word mundane distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words earthly and worldly are common synonyms of mundane. While all three words mean "belonging to or characteristic of the earth," mundane suggests reference to the immediate and practical.

a mundane discussion of finances

In what contexts can earthly take the place of mundane?

While in some cases nearly identical to mundane, earthly often implies a contrast with what is heavenly or spiritual.

abandoned earthly concerns and entered a convent

How are the words worldly and mundane related?

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

worldly goods

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mundane For instance, the moon in Aquarius encourages intellectual curiosity, unconventional conversations and experiences that liberate us from mundane situations. Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026 Especially when you’re tempted by ads and videos for easy solutions that allegedly make mundane cooking tasks quicker, better, and potentially more fun. Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Martha Stewart, 30 July 2026 Practicing deviating from our defaults, no matter how mundane, prepares us to deviate again, even in higher stakes contexts. Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 This felt like a rather mundane offseason around these parts. Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for mundane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mundane
Adjective
  • According to the 2026 Kids Interactive Entertainment Report from children’s learning platform Lingokids, nearly 85% of Georgia parents say screen time is part of their family’s everyday routine.
    Tara Duncan, AJC.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • From perfumes and synthetic flavorings to plastics and resins, acetaldehyde is a chemical used to make countless everyday products.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 2 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Her research explores questions about the nature of the self, decision-making, temporal experience, philosophical methodology, causation, causal experience, time and time’s arrow, perception, mereology, constitution, and essence.
    Big Think, Big Think, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Dubrow also wants people to know temporal hollowing can be avoided altogether by losing weight gradually.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 31 July 2026
Adjective
  • Future markets identified in the prospectus also include energy production on Mars, space tourism, and point-to-point terrestrial travel.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
  • But terrestrial eruptions make up only a fraction of Earth’s volcanic activity.
    Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 31 July 2026
Adjective
  • Divers rotate every 20 minutes to reduce fatigue and the physical demands of wearing nearly 100 pounds of equipment.
    Darius Johnson, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The question is whether the cultural infrastructure will follow the physical one fast enough.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Vegetable Oils Vegetable and seed oils are some of the richest non-animal dietary sources of CoQ10.
    Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 16 July 2026
  • Computer models and other non-animal testing methods still aren’t the best available science, critics contend.
    Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026
Adjective
  • But Roosevelt continued to press for progressive tax reform even after Long departed from the political (and earthly) stage.
    Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Sugar’s purpose in this earthly life — to reunite lost families in the City of Angels — is crumbling under the maddening impossibility of convicting a policeman of a crime in a world where the crime is the point.
    Andy Andersen, Vulture, 24 July 2026
Adjective
  • These poems used images from ordinary life to warn against greed, religious hypocrisy and an excessive attachment to worldly possessions.
    Peter Dziedzic, The Conversation, 30 July 2026
  • These complex relationships—between art and institutions, between artistic integrity and worldly achievement—animate Eggers’s latest novel, Contrapposto.
    Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
Adjective
  • Zachary Robert Stacer, 22, was arrested on July 30 and charged with two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, three counts of felonious assault and five counts of resisting and obstructing a police officer.
    Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • When someone drinks heavily over a prolonged period, the brain adapts by ramping up chemical signals to keep bodily systems functioning, according to experts.
    Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Mundane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mundane. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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