In the past, any text that was not poetic was prosaic. Back then, prosaic carried no negative connotations; it simply indicated that a written work was made up of prose. That sense clearly owes much to the meaning of the word's Latin source prosa, meaning "prose." Poetry is viewed, however, as the more beautiful, imaginative, and emotional type of writing, and prose was relegated to the status of mundane and plain-Jane. As a result, English speakers started using prosaic to refer to anything considered matter-of-fact or ordinary, and they gradually transformed it into a synonym for "colorless," "drab," "lifeless," and "lackluster."
For the most part, the descriptions of the books listed in the "Catalog," though informative, are relentlessly prosaic, even hackneyed.—Mordecai Richler, New York Times Book Review, 8 Oct. 1989In addition to the prosaic essentials of life—wheat, rice, and salt—the Portuguese found exotic stores of pepper, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and other spices.—Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983There is, of course, an ordinary medicine, an everyday medicine, humdrum, prosaic, a medicine for stubbed toes, quinsies, bunions, and boils …—Oliver Sacks, Awakenings, 1973… where did he get his money? He had to eat and drink, buy apparatus and chemicals, even pay the poor rate. Where did he get the common coin to meet such unavoidable if prosaic obligations?—Flann O'Brien, The Dalkey Archive, 1964
He has a prosaic writing style.
the prosaic life of a hardworking farmer
She believes the noises are made by ghosts, but I think there's a more prosaic explanation.
Recent Examples on the WebWhile the secluded property is technically accessible by car, some of the less prosaic ways to arrive are by boat, seaplane, helicopter, or boat.—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024 With her velvety turquoise skin (or, as more prosaic sorts might call it, upholstery), oversize maw (with rounded white teeth positioned between the cushions) and circular eyes with curling lashes, Chairry was an important precursor to Barney, the singing dinosaur who emerged six years later.—Evan Moffitt, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for prosaic
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prosaic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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