1 quotidian | Definition of quotidian
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

quotidian

adjective
quo·​tid·​i·​an | \ kwƍ-ˈti-dē-ən How to pronounce quotidian (audio) \

Definition of quotidian

1 : occurring every day quotidian fever
2a : belonging to each day : everyday quotidian routine
b : commonplace, ordinary quotidian drabness
Other Words from quotidian Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about quotidian

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from quotidian

quotidian noun

Did You Know?

In Shakespeare's play As You Like It, the character Rosalind observes that Orlando, who has been running about in the woods carving her name on trees and hanging love poems on branches, "seems to have the quotidian of love upon him." Shakespeare's use doesn't make it clear that quotidian derives from a Latin word that means "every day." But as odd as it may seem, Shakespeare's use of "quotidian" is just a short semantic step away from the "daily" adjective sense. Some fevers occur intermittently - sometimes daily. The phrase "quotidian fever" and the noun "quotidian" have long been used for such recurring maladies. Poor Orlando is simply afflicted with such a "fever" of love.

Examples of quotidian in a Sentence

not content with the quotidian quarrels that other couples had, they had rows that shook the entire neighborhood plagued by a quotidian coughing fit, the result of years of smoking

Recent Examples on the Web

 Think of all the post-revolutionary phenomena that are quotidian facts of life. — Nr Interview, National Review, "Identity Politics Runs Much Deeper than Politics," 27 Aug. 2019 For me, someone who’s tracking how self-driving cars will shape not revenge plots but the quotidian world, the best bits of the novel come in passing, where Marrs does his world-building. — Alex Davies, WIRED, "A Novelist Takes Self-Driving to Its Illogical Conclusion," 27 Aug. 2019 Before the kids head back to school, the temps drop, and the busy quotidian sets in: get away! — Pamela Wright, BostonGlobe.com, "5 easy New England getaways before summer ends," 6 Aug. 2019 There is evil in the theological sense; there is evil in the quotidian sense. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, "How Trump Obscures Mass Shootings With Doublespeak," 6 Aug. 2019 One after another, his partners’ families called off their engagements—seemingly ruining his chances for a more quotidian kind of happiness. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "Jihadi John, Domestic Terrorist," 6 Aug. 2019 That work is in the same 1940s palette too, so there is plenty here for all generations to enjoy together before hitting the food court and returning to quotidian points Midwestern, where all the wizards are fools. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "Rainbows before noon: 'Wizard of Oz’ is lovely at Chicago Shakespeare Theater," 19 July 2019 Art is often a rarefied realm where quotidian experience is transformed, but Hammons’ practice also prods us to see the art in the everyday. — Sharon Mizota, latimes.com, "If an artist sets up a homeless camp inside a blue-chip art gallery, does anyone care?," 18 June 2019 The shapes may be quotidian, but the effect is exalted. — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, "In the galleries: Some art is sultry, while other pieces are smoky," 19 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quotidian.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of quotidian

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for quotidian

Middle English cotidian, from Anglo-French, from Latin quotidianus, cotidianus, from quotidie every day, from quot (as) many as + dies day — more at deity

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for quotidian

quotidian

adjective
How to pronounce quotidian (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of quotidian

formal + literary
: ordinary or very common
: done each day

See the full definition for quotidian in the English Language Learners Dictionary

quotidian

adjective
quo·​tid·​i·​an | \ kwƍ-ˈtid-ē-ən How to pronounce quotidian (audio) \

Medical Definition of quotidian

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: occurring every day quotidian fever

quotidian

noun

Medical Definition of quotidian (Entry 2 of 2)

: something (as an intermittent fever) that occurs each day

More from Merriam-Webster on quotidian

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with quotidian

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for quotidian

Spanish Central: Translation of quotidian

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!