workaday en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈwɜɹkədeɪ/ (General-American)
- /ˈwɜːkədeɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (US) audio
Etymology
Middle English werkedei, from Old Norse virkr dagr (“working day”). Cognate to later workday; see work and day. Used in adjective sense from 16th century. By surface analysis, work + -a- + day. First attested in c. 1200.
Meanings
- Suitable for everyday use.
-
Mundane or commonplace.
But then something started to shift—the Burning Man aesthetic was creeping into the workaday world; festival culture went mainstream.
2021 February 6, Rachel Monroe, “Ultra-fast Fashion Is Eating the World”, in The Atlantic:A retreat, my dear boys, signifies a withdrawal for a while from the cares of our life, the cares of this workaday world, in order to examine the state of our conscience, to reflect on the mysteries of holy religion and to understand better why we are here in this world."
1916, James Joyce, chapter III, in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, New York, N.Y.: B[enjamin] W. Huebsch, →OCLC, page 124:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more workaday | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most workaday | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| workyday | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic |
Relateds
Synonyms
habitual · consistent · unstrange · standard · expected · common · plain vanilla · ordinary · usual · congruent · customary · usual · plain · quotidian · common as pig tracks · plain · normal · bog-standard · standard issue · nonrare · basic · bog-standard · two a penny · frequent · common as bums · garden variety · everyday · average · conventional · dime a dozen · typical · common as dirt · average · basic · pedestrian · garden variety · general · vulgar · common-or-garden · unremarkable · natural · improminent · unexceptional · par · par for the course · wakeaday · run-of-the-mill · par for the course · ten a penny · medial · routine · regular · common-and-garden · common · mundane · quotidian · everyday · routine · routinary · regular · regular · general · workaday · ordinary · everyday · commonplace · workaday · typical · common as muck
Translations (18)
cmn 普通 (mundane or commonplace) · de Alltags- (suitable for everyday use) · pl codzienny (suitable for everyday use) · pl pospolity (mundane or commonplace) · bg де́лничен (suitable for everyday use) · cmn 平凡 (mundane or commonplace) · pl zwyczajny (mundane or commonplace) · fi arkinen (mundane or commonplace) · fi arkinen (suitable for everyday use) · bg всекидне́вен (suitable for everyday use) · cmn 日用 (suitable for everyday use) · cmn 日常 (suitable for everyday use) · pl przeciętny (mundane or commonplace) · de alltäglich (mundane or commonplace) · pl roboczy (suitable for everyday use) · de Alltags- (mundane or commonplace) · bg обикнове́н (mundane or commonplace) · pl powszedni (suitable for everyday use)