mundane · adj — worldly, earthly, profane, vulgar as opposed to heavenly. It carries an Arena rating of 1642, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, mundane ranks #370 of 17,136 for Most Malleable Words, #584 of 17,128 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,822 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #4,396 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
mundane is pronounced /mʌnˈdeɪn/.
Why “mundane” is a great word
Of, relating to, or typical of this world, especially in being ordinary, practical, or unexciting. From Middle English *mondeyne*, from Old French *mondain*, from Late Latin *mundānus*, from Latin *mundus* (“world”). Unlike the sublime, which elevates toward awe, or the magical, which traffics in the extraordinary, the mundane is the secular ground from which such marvels are distinguished. It is the fluorescent hum of a grocery store at 6 p.m., the ritual of washing a chipped mug, the quiet drag of an identical commute—the quiet gravity that holds us to the ground, where most living is done.
❧ Written by Lexicurio’s AI
Etymology
From Middle English mondeyne, from Old French mondain, from Late Latin mundānus, from Latin mundus (“world”). Compare Danish mondæn. (ordinary): Compare typologically Russian несусве́тный (nesusvétnyj) (<~ не- (ne-) + (rare) сусве́тный (susvétnyj) < свет (svet)).
adj
- Worldly, earthly, profane, vulgar as opposed to heavenly.
- Pertaining to the Universe, cosmos or physical reality, as opposed to the spiritual world.
- Ordinary; not new.
- Tedious; repetitive and boring.
noun
- An unremarkable, ordinary human being.
- A person considered to be "normal", part of the mainstream culture, outside the subculture, not part of the elite group.
- A person who is not a Satanist.
- The world outside fandom; the normal, mainstream world.e.g.“Long famed in fandom, Mr. Bloch skyrocketed to prominence in the mundane when his autobiographical novel, PSYCHO, was made into a hit motion picture.” — 1966 November, Lee Hoffman, “Our Authors”, in Science-Fiction Five-Yearly, number 4, page 35:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.