1
as in ordinary
being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events
an author with a knack for finding something of interest in the most prosaic details of suburban life
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mundane
having to do with the practical details of regular life
my job at the TV station dealt with the much more prosaic business of cleaning the floors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prosaic
Not long ago, Tokarczuk sent us some remarks about a few of her favorite sci-fi and speculative-fiction writers, whose books mix the fantastical and the prosaic masterfully.
—
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
The most prosaic explanation is that Villarroel’s transients are simply artifacts in the photographic plates such as speckles of dust, blobs in the emulsion or even radioactive particles.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2025
The reigning European champions were scattered in defence, prosaic and shallow in attack, despite the options at Renee Slegers’ disposal.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Unsurprisingly, The Life of a Showgirl is a stark departure from last year’s deeply personal, prosaic, and tortured-as-hell The Tortured Poets Department.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prosaic
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
The most prosaic explanation is that Villarroel’s transients are simply artifacts in the photographic plates such as speckles of dust, blobs in the emulsion or even radioactive particles.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2025
The reigning European champions were scattered in defence, prosaic and shallow in attack, despite the options at Renee Slegers’ disposal.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Unsurprisingly, The Life of a Showgirl is a stark departure from last year’s deeply personal, prosaic, and tortured-as-hell The Tortured Poets Department.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prosaic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prosaic
Adjective
-
Biting cold temperatures will turn the ordinary bustle of life outdoors on a North Texas weekday largely inside on Monday as wind chills drop to as low as 10 below zero.—
Star-Telegram staff,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Jan. 2026
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The government had enacted reforms that triggered a sudden spike in the prices of basic commodities and placed immense pressure on ordinary households.—
Davood Moradian,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Last spring, my colleague Elaine Godfrey wrote about finding joy in mundane places.—
Isabel Fattal,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
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Product breadth is huge, some customer tasks may be highly technical, others mundane but requiring accuracy, and others still are more about look and feel.—
Mark Faithfull,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Anger, relief, anxiety, numbness, shame—all of these are normal reactions.—
Cynthia Pong,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Bus routes and train lines will run on a Sunday schedule as normal.—
Chilekasi Adele,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
As usual, Coon thrives in ambiguity, layering a seemingly straightforward woman with depth.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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As a result, Musick elected to bench her usual rotation for much of the second half.—
Ethan Westerman,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In other words, the typical beneficiary of tighter air quality standards is an elderly retiree, not a child or a working-age adult.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Zillow calculates the value of a typical home using the average middle third of home values (eliminating statistical anomalies at the high and low end).—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
After which, dogs and humans being buried together became commonplace.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
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But the book cannot credit Boone with commonplace human thoughtfulness.—
Julius Taranto,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Growth in services consumption outpacing goods expenditure largely reflects rising average income levels and would likely have occurred even without policy support, said Duncan Wrigley, chief China economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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As digital distractions, from texting, social media, breaking news, work, and more, increasingly encroach on our lives, our average attention span — the length of time a person is able to concentrate mentally on a specific activity — has shrunk.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prosaic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prosaic. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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