Meaning & use
quotidian
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparableformal
Happening every day or repeating on an ordinary daily cycle.
Grammar: Use before nouns or after be in formal writing; do not say more quotidian.
Patterns
- quotidian tasks
- quotidian rhythm
- quotidian worries
The diary records quotidian tasks: bread, letters, weather, sleep.
A quotidian rhythm of bells marked the village morning.
adjectivenot comparableliterary
Ordinary and unremarkable rather than special or exceptional.
Grammar: Similar to everyday, but more literary; choose it for tone, not grammar.
Patterns
- quotidian concerns
- quotidian details
- the quotidian world
Beneath the crisis lay quotidian concerns about rent and school fees.
The poet found wonder inside quotidian details like chipped cups and rain.
Common combinations
- quotidian tasks
- The story begins with quotidian tasks before the stranger arrives.
- quotidian concerns
- Politicians often forget voters' quotidian concerns.
- the quotidian rhythm of life
- The film lingers on the quotidian rhythm of life on the boat.
Synonyms and how they differ
- daily
- Simply means each day; quotidian is more formal and literary.
- everyday
- Neutral and common for normal life; quotidian sounds elevated.
- mundane
- Adds a feeling of dullness; quotidian need not be boring.
- routine
- Can describe a regular procedure, not necessarily daily existence.
Opposites
Commonly confused: quotidian or ubiquitous?
quotidian vs ubiquitous
Ubiquitous means seeming to be everywhere at once; quotidian means daily or commonplace.
Practice
Which phrase best fits a formal literary sentence?
Choose one answer.
Quotidian errands means ordinary daily tasks, the core meaning. Ubiquitous refers to presence everywhere, more quotidian is unnatural, and explosion is not ordinary.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quotidian”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.