routine
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.the usual series of things you do at a particular time.
n.a sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program of daily or professional activity.
Simple“My morning routine includes a short walk and a cup of coffee before work.”
In context“Establishing a consistent bedtime routine can significantly improve sleep quality by signaling to the brain that it is time to wind down.”
UsageOften used with 'daily', 'morning', or 'work'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a set of movements or jokes that someone performs for an audience.
n.a scripted or choreographed sequence of actions performed by an entertainer or athlete.
Simple“The comedian practiced his new routine for weeks before the big show.”
In context“The gymnast executed a flawless floor routine, earning high marks for both technical difficulty and artistic expression.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
n.a set of instructions in a computer program that does a specific job.
n.a sequence of computer instructions, often called a subroutine, designed to perform a specific, frequently used task.
Simple“The software uses a special routine to save your work automatically every five minutes.”
In context“The developer optimized the sorting routine to handle large datasets more efficiently, reducing the overall processing time by thirty percent.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.done as a normal part of a job or process, rather than for a special reason.
adj.performed as part of a regular procedure rather than for a specific or exceptional reason.
Simple“The pilot performed a routine safety check before the plane took off.”
In context“The surgery was described as a routine procedure, yet the medical team remained vigilant for any unexpected complications during recovery.”
Antonyms
Usage routine activity
“That’s great if you are visiting friends or family at or near another campus and don’t want to break your routine.”
“Some people switched up their daily routines to beat the summer heat.”
Unadapted borrowing from French routine. By surface analysis, route + -ine. Further from Latin rupta via. Compare typologically travel << Latin tripālium, whence also travail, note the inverse semantic vector from a subjective state (toil) to an objective action (journey). Also compare Czech běžný (< běžet), Russian обихо́д (obixód), обихо́дный (obixódnyj) (akin to ходи́ть (xodítʹ)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.