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M/Mundane
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Visual memory aid for Mundane

Mundane

Ordinary, commonplace, and unremarkable; worldly rather than spiritual.

adjective
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Imagine This

The monk has no interest in worldly affairs, such as job advancement, but is devoted to prayer and devotional time.

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Sounds Like

mun-DAYN

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Looks Like

looks like the word itself; no obvious visual cue.

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Remember This

Mundane often contrasts with the extraordinary or sacred; while it can mean dull, its core sense is 'earthly, worldly' or 'ordinary'.

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Other Forms

mundanitynoun
mundanelyadverb
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Connect With

worldly, ordinary, banal, prosaic, secular

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Note

Two senses: (1) worldly/earthly, (2) dull or routine. In SAT contexts, focus on 'ordinary' or 'unremarkable' rather than 'boring'.

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Study Deeper

Examples
  • The lecture was mundane, filled with routine details that put the audience to sleep.
  • Her job involved mundane tasks like answering emails and filing reports.
Synonyms
ordinarycommonplacebanalprosaicroutine
Antonyms
extraordinaryexceptionalsublime
Etymology

From Latin mundanus 'worldly, of the world', from mundus 'world'. The sense 'earthly' evolved to mean 'ordinary, dull' in English.

Mnemonic

Mundane sounds like Monday; both evoke the ordinary, routine nature of ordinary days.