Something that is prosaic is dull and uninteresting.
[formal]
His instructor offered a more prosaic explanation for the surge in interest.
The truth is more prosaic.
Synonyms: dull, ordinary, boring, routine More Synonyms of prosaic
prosaically (proʊzeɪɪkli)adverb [ADVERB with verb]
Arabian jam is also known as angels' hair preserve, or more prosaically as carrotjam.
His father wrote briefly and prosaically.
prosaic in British English
(prəʊˈzeɪɪk)
adjective
1.
lacking imagination
2.
having the characteristics of prose
Derived forms
prosaically (proˈsaically)
adverb
prosaicness (proˈsaicness) or prosaicalness (proˈsaicalness)
noun
Word origin
C16: from Late Latin prōsaicus, from Latin prōsaprose
prosaic in American English
(proʊˈzeɪɪk)
adjective
1.
of or like prose rather than poetry; often, specif., heavy, flat, unimaginative, etc.
2.
commonplace, dull and ordinary
prosaic details of everyday life
Derived forms
prosaically (proˈsaically)
adverb
prosaicness (proˈsaicness)
noun
Word origin
LL prosaicus < L prosa, prose
Examples of 'prosaic' in a sentence
prosaic
One mystery turned out to have a prosaic explanation.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Can the reasons be more prosaic?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There may be a more prosaic explanation for the venue.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The edge was the rather prosaic one of willing deceit.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He also confronted a rather more prosaic realisation.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
But he is wrong on the far more prosaic matter of rural second homes.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Offshore schemes may sound glamorous but the reality is more prosaic.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
After the poetry of campaign promises that is the prosaic reality.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There is another more prosaic reason for welcoming the review.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But for me it was humbling for a more prosaic reason.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
But those with more prosaic interests can also make money.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
But the business of tax havens is actually far more prosaic than any of these rather exotic images.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It is partly for prosaic reasons.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
But there is another, more prosaic explanation.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
His dad's astonished take on things was rather more prosaic.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In union, this rather prosaic skill is an essential one for anyone who wants to be the complete wing.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The reality was more prosaic.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
In the past decade there has been a gradual departure from the legend of the Toulouse game to a rather more prosaic modern form.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Is there another company in Britain where the gap between the prestige of the brand clashes so dramatically against the prosaic reality of its location?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Of course, it turns out that the so-called murder has a more prosaic explanation.
The Sun (2012)
Part of the reason for this is rather prosaic: the preponderance of left-wing composers.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
No, it's far more prosaic than that.
The Sun (2015)
The dynamic between the two stars is, in reality, more prosaic.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It would have been a rather prosaic match were it not for the exalted company and the fact that the Swiss was on a one-match losing streak.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The cowboy's life was far more prosaic than it appears in modern legend, consisting mainly of endless hours on the trail surrounded by thousands of bellowing beasts.
Garraty, John Arthur The American Nation: A History of the United States to 1877 (1995)
In other languages
prosaic
British English: prosaic ADJECTIVE
Something that is prosaic is dull and uninteresting.
His instructor offered a more prosaic explanation for the surge in interest.
American English: prosaic
Brazilian Portuguese: prosaico
Chinese: 枯燥乏味的
European Spanish: prosaico
French: prosaïque
German: nüchtern
Italian: prosaico
Japanese: 退屈な
Korean: 따분한
European Portuguese: prosaico
Latin American Spanish: prosaico
(adjective)
Definition
lacking imagination
the aimless monotony of our prosaic everyday life
Synonyms
dull
They can both be rather dull.
ordinary
My life seems pretty ordinary compared to yours.
boring
boring television programmes
routine
So many days are routine and uninteresting.
flat
The past few days have been flat and empty.
dry
The work was very dry and dull.
everyday
an exhilarating escape from the drudgery of everyday life
tame
The report was pretty tame stuff.
pedestrian
His style is so pedestrian that the book is really boring.
commonplace
The practice was virtually unheard of twenty years ago, but has now become commonplace.
mundane
Be willing to do mundane tasks with good grace.
matter-of-fact
He gave her the news in a matter-of-fact way.
stale
repeating stale jokes to kill the time
banal
The text is banal.
uninspiring
Her speech on the economy was uninspiring.
humdrum
trapped in a humdrum but well-paid job
trite
The movie is teeming with trite and obvious ideas.
unimaginative
Film critics called it a monumentally unimaginative movie.
hackneyed
That's the old hackneyed phrase, but it's true.
workaday
an escape from the tedium of the workaday world
vapid
The conversation was vapid and uninteresting.
Opposites
interesting
,
exciting
,
unusual
,
extraordinary
,
fascinating
,
entertaining
,
imaginative
,
poetical
Seehumdrum
Nearby words of
prosaic
proprietor
propriety
propulsion
prosaic
proscribe
proscription
prose
Synonyms of 'prosaic'
prosaic
Explore 'prosaic' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dry
Definition
dull and uninteresting
The work was very dry and dull.
Synonyms
dull,
boring,
tedious,
commonplace,
dreary,
tiresome,
monotonous,
run-of-the-mill,
humdrum,
unimaginative,
uninteresting,
mind-numbing,
ho-hum (informal)
in the sense of everyday
Definition
suitable for or used on ordinary days
an exhilarating escape from the drudgery of everyday life
Synonyms
ordinary,
common,
usual,
familiar,
conventional,
routine,
dull,
stock,
accustomed,
customary,
commonplace,
mundane,
vanilla (slang),
banal,
habitual,
run-of-the-mill,
unimaginative,
workaday,
unexceptional,
bog-standard (British, Irish, slang),
common or garden (informal),
dime-a-dozen (informal),
wonted
in the sense of flat
Definition
unexciting
The past few days have been flat and empty.
Synonyms
dull,
dead,
empty,
boring,
depressing,
pointless,
tedious,
stale,
lacklustre,
tiresome,
lifeless,
monotonous,
uninteresting,
insipid,
unexciting,
spiritless
in the sense of hackneyed
Definition
(of a word or phrase) unoriginal and overused
That's the old hackneyed phrase, but it's true.
Synonyms
clichéd,
stock,
tired,
common,
stereotyped,
pedestrian,
played out (informal),
commonplace,
worn-out,
stale,
overworked,
banal,
run-of-the-mill,
threadbare,
trite,
unoriginal,
timeworn
in the sense of humdrum
Definition
ordinary, dull, and uninteresting
trapped in a humdrum but well-paid job
Synonyms
dull,
ordinary,
boring,
routine,
commonplace,
mundane,
tedious,
dreary,
banal,
tiresome,
monotonous,
uneventful,
uninteresting,
mind-numbing,
ho-hum (informal),
repetitious,
wearisome,
unvaried
in the sense of matter-of-fact
Definition
unimaginative or emotionless
He gave her the news in a matter-of-fact way.
Synonyms
unsentimental,
flat,
dry,
plain,
dull,
sober,
down-to-earth,
mundane,
lifeless,
prosaic,
deadpan,
unimaginative,
unvarnished,
emotionless,
unembellished
in the sense of mundane
Definition
everyday, ordinary, and therefore not very interesting
Be willing to do mundane tasks with good grace.
Synonyms
ordinary,
routine,
commonplace,
banal,
everyday,
day-to-day,
vanilla (slang),
prosaic,
humdrum,
workaday
in the sense of ordinary
Definition
not special or different in any way
My life seems pretty ordinary compared to yours.
Synonyms
commonplace,
plain,
modest,
humble,
stereotyped,
pedestrian,
mundane,
vanilla (slang),
stale,
banal,
unremarkable,
prosaic,
run-of-the-mill,
humdrum,
homespun,
uninteresting,
workaday,
common or garden (informal),
unmemorable
in the sense of pedestrian
Definition
dull or commonplace
His style is so pedestrian that the book is really boring.
Synonyms
dull,
flat,
ordinary,
boring,
commonplace,
mundane,
mediocre,
plodding,
banal,
prosaic,
run-of-the-mill,
humdrum,
unimaginative,
uninteresting,
uninspired,
ho-hum (informal),
no great shakes (informal),
half-pie (New Zealand, informal)
in the sense of routine
So many days are routine and uninteresting.
Synonyms
boring,
dull,
predictable,
tedious,
tiresome,
run-of-the-mill,
humdrum,
unimaginative,
clichéd,
uninspired,
mind-numbing,
hackneyed,
unoriginal
Additional synonyms
in the sense of stale
Definition
uninteresting from having been done or seen too many times
repeating stale jokes to kill the time
Synonyms
unoriginal,
banal,
trite,
common,
flat,
stereotyped,
commonplace,
worn-out,
antiquated,
threadbare,
old hat,
insipid,
hackneyed,
overused,
repetitious,
platitudinous,
cliché-ridden
in the sense of tame
Definition
mild and unexciting
The report was pretty tame stuff.
Synonyms
unexciting,
boring,
dull,
bland,
tedious,
flat,
tiresome,
lifeless,
prosaic,
uninspiring,
humdrum,
uninteresting,
insipid,
vapid,
wearisome
in the sense of trite
Definition
(of a remark or idea) commonplace and unoriginal
The movie is teeming with trite and obvious ideas.
Synonyms
unoriginal,
worn,
common,
stock,
ordinary,
tired,
routine,
dull,
stereotyped,
hack,
pedestrian,
commonplace,
stale,
banal,
corny (slang),
run-of-the-mill,
threadbare,
clichéd,
uninspired,
hackneyed,
bromidic
in the sense of unimaginative
Definition
not having or showing much imagination
Film critics called it a monumentally unimaginative movie.