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Definition of prosaic - 4 dictionary results

pro⋅sa⋅ic

  [proh-zey-ik]
Use prosaic in a Sentence
–adjective
1. commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact or unimaginative: a prosaic mind.
2. of or having the character or form of prose rather than poetry.
Also, pro⋅sa⋅i⋅cal.

Origin:
1650–60; LL prōsaicus. See prose, -ic

Related forms:
pro⋅sa⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
pro⋅sa⋅ic⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. ordinary, everyday; vapid, humdrum, tedious, tiresome, uninteresting.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pro·sa·ic   (prō-zā'ĭk)   
adj.  
    1. Consisting or characteristic of prose.
    2. Matter-of-fact; straightforward.
  2. Lacking in imagination and spirit; dull.

[Late Latin prōsaicus, from Latin prōsa, prose; see prose.]
pro·sa'i·cal·ly adv., pro·sa'ic·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Prosaic

Pro*sa"ic\, Prosaical \Pro*sa"ic*al\, a. [L. prosaius, from prosa prose: cf. F,. prosa["i]que. See Prose.]

1. Of or pertaining to prose; resembling prose; in the form of prose; unpoetical; writing or using prose; as, a prosaic composition. --Cudworth.

2. Dull; uninteresting; commonplace; unimaginative; prosy; as, a prosaic person. --Ed. Rev. -- Pro*sa"ic*al*ly, adv. -- Pro*sa"ic*al*ness, n.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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prosaic 
1656, "having to do with prose," from Fr. prosaique, from M.L. prosaicus "in prose" (16c.), from L. prosa "prose" (see prose). Meaning "having the character of prose (in contrast to the feeling of poetry)" is 1746; extended sense of "ordinary" is 1813, both from Fr.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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