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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 These accents are often what will take an outfit from mundane to a look worth mimicking. Samantha Solomon, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2025 Other more mundane explanations of disappearances include weather, such as rogue waves, human error and more. Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2025 In the same scroll, you can be confronted by images of life’s mundane ephemera and others of war and suffering. Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2025 Reference is made to Thida as next becoming a guardian of another space, an otherworldly being who remains in this world in human form, but these conversations don’t feel anything but ordinary and mundane. Blake Simons, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mundane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mundane
Adjective
  • The mundane worries or thoughts of everyday life seemed to dissolve under the vast sky, replaced by the rhythm of the land and the quiet insistence of nature.
    Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • That is, the group enables Hamas to be both arsonist and firefighter, enhancing its control and reach into the lives of average, everyday Palestinians in Gaza.
    Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Grey’s son, Loren Grey, restored his father’s original ending in the novel’s 1982 Pocket Books reprint, but the vanishing mythos remains intact, with the last of the tribe wistfully following Curtis’s Navajo into the temporal graveyard of the past.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Psychologists call this a temporal landmark, a point in time like a birthday or seasonal shift that can spark motivation to take on new challenges.
    Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Yet until the samples can be studied in terrestrial labs, their significance remains uncertain.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Forests, the largest terrestrial carbon sinks in the world, are part of the solution.
    Ryan Gellert, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Farrell was a heavy favorite due to his complete physical transformation in The Penguin, becoming barely recognizable to play villainous Oswald.
    Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • With a mix of humor and introspection, Turturro’s speech reflected on his experiences taking care of his late brother with mental challenges and physical illness.
    Andrew McGowan, Variety, 14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In 2022, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 paved the way for alternatives to animal testing, and in December 2023, an NIH advisory committee made similar recommendations to develop non-animal methods.
    Rachel Fobar, Vox, 14 May 2025
  • Rendering is a process that transforms animal by-products, like leftover meat and fats...and yes, chicken feet, into usable materials, such as animal feed, fuel, and other industrial products.
    Phil Kafarakis, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • The rest of us are strolling into fall with an eye to earthly delights.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Though his earthly life has ended, his witness cannot be silenced.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, IndyStar, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Sumpter was charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors, including assault likely to produce great bodily injury, battery with serious bodily injury and dissuading a witness, Butte County public records show.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Tyler Robinson was also arrested on charges of obstruction of justice and the felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, authorities said.
    Bobby Allyn, NPR, 14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In addition to being a formidable businessman, Armani is credited with breathing new life into menswear and creating a new system of dressing for women, marrying Italian leggerezza with worldly references (China was a frequent reference point) and becoming synonymous with timeless elegance.
    Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Shannon McLaren infuses her fashion experience and worldly perspective into Prairie Interiors, her Newport Beach firm.
    Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mundane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mundane. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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