adj
prosaic
proh-ZAY-ihk
adj
1
Plain, ordinary, or dull, lacking imagination or excitement.
"His speech was competent but prosaic, with none of the passion the crowd wanted."
"She led a fairly prosaic life in a small suburban town."
How to Use Prosaic
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBoring or unremarkable, the opposite of poetic or exciting.
Common pairings
prosaic explanation
prosaic life
prosaic style
Word Forms
more prosaic comparative, most prosaic superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “prosaic”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
His speech was competent but _____, with none of the passion the crowd wanted.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin prosaicus ("in prose"), from Latin prosa ("prose"), ultimately from provorsus ("straightforward") — the sense shifted from "written in prose" to "plain and unpoetic" over time.