banausic

1 9.9

Showing interest only in practical work and not in art or ideas

adjective
/bəˈnɔːsɪk/

Formal

: banal

The speaker's banausic approach to the topic failed to engage the audience's interest.

Examples

His banausic lifestyle revolved around routine tasks with little room for creativity.
Many argue that the banausic nature of the advertisement undermines its artistic value.
"That was a brutally callow, but honest translation of the equally banausic language of many college promotional brochures.

Academic text (2002)

Synonyms

functionalistic

vsbanausic

7.3

Designed to be practical and useful rather than decorative

views such work as ordinary and lacking intellectual or refined value

Antonyms

intellectual

344 5.5

About thinking, ideas, and mental effort rather than feelings

artistic

240 3.5

Showing creative skill or good taste in art, like a painting

refined

Formal

25 4.1

Showing elegant, polite manners and good taste

How Refined

refined

Formal

25 4.1

practical

465 2.6

banausic

Formal

1 9.9

crude

Offensive

52 5.1

Surface Forms

banausic positive

Morphology

banausic = banaus + ic

Contains a non‑productive Greek combining form ('banaus-') plus the adjectival suffix '-ic'; the core element is not a familiar standalone English word, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from its parts.

Etymology

Banausic comes from the Greek word banausos, which meant 'manual worker' or 'craftsman'. So calling something banausic is a way to say it is mainly practical or hands-on work and is seen as lacking refinement or intellectual value.