prosaic

adjective

pro·​sa·​ic prō-ˈzā-ik 

1

a

: characteristic of prose as distinguished from poetry : factual

b

: dull, unimaginative

prosaic advice

2

: everyday, ordinary

heroic characters wasted in prosaic lives

—Kirkus Reviews

prosaically

prō-ˈzā-ə-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

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Prosaic Has Literary Origins

In the past, any text that was not poetic was prosaic. Back then, prosaic carried no negative connotations; it simply indicated that a written work was made up of prose. That sense clearly owes much to the meaning of the word's Latin source prosa, meaning "prose." Poetry is viewed, however, as the more beautiful, imaginative, and emotional type of writing, and prose was relegated to the status of mundane and plain-Jane. As a result, English speakers started using prosaic to refer to anything considered matter-of-fact or ordinary, and they gradually transformed it into a synonym for "colorless," "drab," "lifeless," and "lackluster."

Synonyms

• average
• common
• commonplace
• cut-and-dried
• cut-and-dry
• everyday
• garden-variety
• normal
• ordinary
• routine
• run-of-the-mill
• standard
• standard-issue
• unexceptional
• unremarkable
• usual
• workaday

Examples of prosaic in a Sentence

For the most part, the descriptions of the books listed in the "Catalog," though informative, are relentlessly prosaic, even hackneyed. —Mordecai Richler, New York Times Book Review, 8 Oct. 1989

In addition to the prosaic essentials of life—wheat, rice, and salt—the Portuguese found exotic stores of pepper, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and other spices. —Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983

There is, of course, an ordinary medicine, an everyday medicine, humdrum, prosaic, a medicine for stubbed toes, quinsies, bunions, and boils … —Oliver Sacks, Awakenings, 1973

… where did he get his money? He had to eat and drink, buy apparatus and chemicals, even pay the poor rate. Where did he get the common coin to meet such unavoidable if prosaic obligations? —Flann O'Brien, The Dalkey Archive, 1964

He has a prosaic writing style.

the prosaic life of a hardworking farmer

She believes the noises are made by ghosts, but I think there's a more prosaic explanation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, the book is full of the prosaic events for which its author is known. —The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024

Here, water transport assumes a form that is grandly ritualistic if decidedly prosaic. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024

The framing device infuses even the most prosaic moments with poignancy, and the film’s emotional impact is made greater by the knowledge that it was based on a true story. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2024

More prosaic economic improvements, meanwhile, can in turn fall prey to state efforts to maintain full control over information and markets. —Yasmine Farouk, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin prosaicus, from Latin prosa prose

First Known Use

1692, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

prosaic

adjective

pro·​sa·​ic prō-ˈzā-ik 

: being dull, ordinary, or uninteresting

prosaically

-ˈzā-ə-k(ə-)lē 

adverb