1
as in grind
an established and often automatic or monotonous series of actions followed when engaging in some activity
part of my morning routine is drinking a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
1
as in normal
being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events
this is just a routine inspection
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in formal
following or agreeing with established form, custom, or rules
the routine procedure for filing a complaint with the board
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in usual
often observed or encountered
the movie is a routine thriller that has little to recommend it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of routine
Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 28 May 2026
Long distances between classes, inaccessible routes and unpredictable health fluctuations became part of her everyday routine.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 May 2026
Group plants with similar needs together so one routine works for the whole windowsill.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for routine
Noun
As Venus, planet of love, moves through your 7th House of Partnership and squares structured Saturn in your 4th House of Home, agreements need clear routines.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 28 May 2026
Long distances between classes, inaccessible routes and unpredictable health fluctuations became part of her everyday routine.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
Adjective
What should be used as a safeguard against an unfit or abusive president has instead become a routine mechanism for resolving political conflict.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 May 2026
Group plants with similar needs together so one routine works for the whole windowsill.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for routine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for routine
Noun
-
Navel-gazing cinema about the creative process isn’t usually my bag, but Almodóvar doesn’t take his own misery that seriously, even inserting a manic pixie dream hunk, a male stripper-slash-firefighter played by Patrick Criado, for a little bump and grind.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
-
This wins got harder to come by, but the grind and mentality never changed.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
But another reason is that its potential benefits extend beyond muscle building alone, as creatine also appears to support exercise performance, recovery, healthy aging and aspects of how your brain functions.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
-
Executing this vision was an exercise in creative engineering, molding natural and organic shapes out of unforgiving materials.—
Bill Springer,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
The book is a poetry collection structured in three acts with seven players, each assigned a color of the rainbow and an apparition’s name, each of whom needs an audience to fully exist.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
Kareem chased it down in the corner, did a bit of a tightrope act to stay inbounds, then turned around and drained it with near-perfect form.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
My vet rechecked it a week later, and her potassium is now normal, but her phosphorous is too high.—
Dr. John De Jong,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
-
But at the State meet, officials alternated between sticking to the normal race schedule and running the 2 mile early in the meet and the mile later as had been the case in 1974 at the State meet in Bakersfield.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
In rich countries with more formal labor markets, such as the US and the UK, this has catalyzed the decades-long erosion of social protections under neoliberalism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
-
This is the first year that the Nationals have engaged in formal meetings like these.—
Spencer Nusbaum,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Trading in oil may be lower than usual on Monday, with some traders away from their desks for public holidays in the US and the UK.—
Nicholas Lua,
Fortune,
24 May 2026
-
The original experiment exposed four belugas to the mirror together, in their usual social housing.—
Federica Sgorbissa,
ArsTechnica,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
Offense was better found on the back of a milk cartoon for the Braves this weekend at Truist Park, where the NL East’s first-place team fell into a scoring rut and lost a three-game series to the Nationals.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
25 May 2026
-
There’s a certain scale at which the discerning buyer might hit a rut; things that are smaller than most pieces of furniture might require turning to the largest of shelves at the biggest box stores.—
Anthony Paletta,
Curbed,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
Nakase also thought Jocytė’s first practice went well Sunday.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
26 May 2026
-
Burial practices accelerated spread.—
Steve Brozak,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Routine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/routine. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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