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prosaic

prosaic

8 7.9
Ordinary and dull without imagination or excitement
  • adjective
  • /prəˈzeɪɪk/
translation icon : prosaico
  • Her daily routine became so prosaic that she longed for adventure and excitement.
  • prosaic and the poetic
  • prosaic reality
  • more prosaic

And that's just a very prosaic example of the disharmony between nature and morality.

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Examples

  • I think the truth is probably more prosaic than that.

  • The explanation is rather prosaic: I have more money than I could possibly need.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • No, he would never do anything that prosaic.

  • I myself suspect a more prosaic motive.

  • It's an endless list of the prosaic.

  • Others recommend that you concentrate on something prosaic.

  • Yet how could a lazy, prosaic resort compare with what she was being offered?

    Fiction book (1994)
  • And that's just a very prosaic example of the disharmony between nature and morality.

  • The chatter and slurp of Welsh streams may, in a prosaic age, register only as pleasant background sounds.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The party, as its name demonstrates, emphasizes more prosaic qualities: good governance, administrative effectiveness, and anticorruption.

    Academic text (2002)

Synonyms

boring
vsprosaic
721 1.0

Not interesting and making you feel tired or impatient

is similar but emphasises ordinary uncreative character rather than feeling
dull
vsprosaic
182 1.3

Not interesting or lively

is more about plain ordinariness and missing imagination
mundane
vsprosaic
80 4.3

Ordinary daily things or events that are not special and often feel boring

is similar but focuses more on lack of imagination and excitement
commonplace
vsprosaic
54 3.4

Ordinary and not special or new

is similar but highlights missing imagination rather than frequency
dreary
vsprosaic
44 3.8

A gloomy, boring time that makes you feel sad or tired

is about simple lack of imagination rather than sadness or bleakness
bland
vsprosaic
31 2.8

A thing that has no strong character and few interesting features

is more about weak character than specifically lacking imagination
lackluster
vsprosaic
  • US
30 6.1

Dull and showing little energy

is closer to plain ordinariness than mere low energy
pedestrian
vsprosaic
27 6.7

Not interesting or exciting

is about plain everyday quality rather than creative dullness
drab
vsprosaic
23 4.2

Not bright or colorful and not lively

is similar but focuses more on uncreative ordinariness
uninteresting
vsprosaic
20 1.4

Not exciting and likely to make people bored

is similar but focuses more on ordinary unimaginative quality
unremarkable
vsprosaic
20 3.5

Being ordinary and not interesting

is the same ordinariness but emphasises lack of imagination or excitement
lifeless
vsprosaic
19 3.6

Without energy or interest and making people feel bored

is about plainness and lack of imagination rather than being inert
nondescript
vsprosaic
17 7.1

Not having special or interesting features so it does not stand out

is the ordinary kind that also lacks imagination or excitement
vapid
vsprosaic
16 7.9

Not interesting or lively and often boring

is more about dull ordinary character than loss of spirit
uninspired
vsprosaic
14 4.0

Not having new or interesting ideas

is dull because it stresses plainness rather than creative energy
monotonous
vsprosaic
14 5.3

Something that is boring because it has no variety

is about ordinary lack of imagination rather than only repetition
unimpressive
vsprosaic
9 3.9

Not very good or likely to attract attention

is similar but stresses unoriginal plainness rather than weak effect
humdrum
vsprosaic
9 6.5

Not exciting and having little variety

is similar but highlights missing imagination rather than repetition
uninspiring
vsprosaic
7 3.5

Not interesting or exciting

is about ordinary plainness rather than active failure to inspire
ho-hum
vsprosaic
5 8.1

Not interesting and making you feel bored

is like plain ordinariness but not focused on repetition
unglamorous
vsprosaic
4 5.4

Not attractive or exciting and often plain

is about plain ordinariness rather than missing glamour or prestige
unexciting
vsprosaic
3 3.2

Not interesting or exciting

is about lack of imagination rather than only absence of thrill
pallid
vsprosaic
2 7.4

Not interesting or lively and often boring

is more about plain ordinary quality rather than mere weakness
1 3.4

Not very impressive or special

is about missing imagination or excitement rather than mere low impact
earthbound
vsprosaic
1 7.1

Not creative or adventurous, often plain and boring

is the term for everyday ordinariness rather than adventurousness
too vanilla
vsprosaic
  • Informal
1 8.5

Plain and not interesting with no new ideas

is a neutral description of lacking imagination rather than a playful complaint
prosy
vsprosaic
9.6

Not interesting and showing little imagination

is more about plain ordinariness and lack of excitement
boresome
vsprosaic
  • Archaic
6.8

Causes people to lose interest because it is dull

is about plain ordinariness rather than only causing tedium
dullish
vsprosaic
3.7

Not bright in color and not very interesting

is the fuller sense of plainness and lack of imagination

Antonyms

1.0

Attracting attention because it is new, exciting, or makes you think

1.0

Making people feel very interested and eager

60 3.7

Having many new and different ideas

How Dull

hackneyed
7 7.6
banal
21 7.2
prosaic
8 7.9
ordinary
683 1.0

Surface Forms

prosaic positive
prosaically positive
prosaicly positive

Morphology

prosaic = prose (semi-transparent) = prose + aic

Formed from 'prose' + the suffix '-aic'; the link to 'prose' (everyday, non‑poetic language) is clear but the sense 'dull, unimaginative' is a metaphorical extension and the suffix is not highly productive for learners.

Etymology

The word prosaic comes from the same root as prose, which means plain, everyday writing. So something prosaic is 'ordinary' or 'not exciting', like plain prose rather than lively poetry.