Word
prosaic
Phoneticspro·sa·ic, stress on the second syllable
US/pɹoʊˈzeɪɪk/
UK/pɹəsˈeɪɪk/
Definition
adj. ordinary, boring, or not very exciting. You use this to describe things that are plain and lack imagination, like a simple daily routine.
adj. lacking poetic beauty or imaginative quality; commonplace and unromantic. Often used to contrast everyday reality with more elevated or artistic ideals.
Examples
“The movie had a very prosaic ending.”
“Despite the grand promises of the campaign, the actual work of governing proved to be quite prosaic.”
“The architect's vision was eventually compromised by prosaic concerns regarding the budget and local building regulations, resulting in a structure that lacked its original flair.”
Examples
simple
“The movie had a very prosaic ending.”
contextual
“Despite the grand promises of the campaign, the actual work of governing proved to be quite prosaic.”
complex
“The architect's vision was eventually compromised by prosaic concerns regarding the budget and local building regulations, resulting in a structure that lacked its original flair.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “prosaic” in context.
Verb
01. border on prosaic
“At times the speech bordered on the prosaic and lost the audience.”
verb + prep + adj
02. consider prosaic
“Many consider his writing style too prosaic for literary fiction.”
verb + adj
03. find prosaic
“Critics found the novel's dialogue flat and prosaic.”
verb + adj
04. lapse into prosaic
“The lecture lapsed into prosaic detail and students lost interest.”
verb + prep + adj
Adjective
05. disappointingly prosaic
“The museum's new wing was disappointingly prosaic in design.”
adv + adj
Noun
06. prosaic life
“She left her prosaic life in the suburbs to travel abroad.”
adj + noun
07. prosaic reality
“The report exposes the prosaic reality behind the glamorous industry.”
adj + noun
08. prosaic routine
“He was tired of the same prosaic routine every morning.”
adj + noun
09. prosaic style
“She writes in a clear, prosaic style with no unnecessary decoration.”
adj + noun
10. a rather prosaic life
“He lived a rather prosaic life centred on work and family.”
11. in its most prosaic form
“Cooking, in its most prosaic form, is simply about feeding people.”
12. lapse into prosaic detail
“The biography too often lapses into prosaic detail.”
Usage
Typically used attributively before a noun or predicatively after a linking verb.
Etymology
The term descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *wer-, meaning to turn or to bend. It passed into Old Latin as provorsus, a combination of pro-, for forward, and vorsus, the past participle of vertō, to turn. The resulting sense was one of moving straight ahead, a trajectory that lacked the rhythmic turns and decorative diversions of verse.
This linear quality informed the Latin prosa and the Medieval Latin prosaicus, identifying language that proceeds without artifice. The word entered English by way of the Middle French prosaïque, maintaining its character as the verbal equivalent of walking in a straight line.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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