Meaning & use

ordinary

adjective·Everyday

Normal or usual, without anything special, unusual, or noteworthy about it.

See it in a sentence

It was an ordinary Tuesday until the fire alarm went off during lunch.

The restaurant serves ordinary sandwiches, nothing you couldn't make at home.

A note on using this word

Ordinary can be purely neutral, describing something normal, or mildly critical, suggesting it lacks any special quality.

Words with a similar meaning

usualcommontypical

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “ordinary”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.