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Word a Day

ordinary

adjective · /ˈɔɹdəˌnɛɹi/ · Level 1 · Starter

What does ordinary mean?

ordinary (adjective): having no special characteristics or function; everyday, common, mundane; often deprecatory.

Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

How do you pronounce ordinary?

/ˈɔɹdəˌnɛɹi/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.

Where does ordinary come from?

From Anglo-Norman ordenarie, ordenaire et al., Middle French ordinaire, and their source, Medieval Latin ordinarius, noun use of Latin ōrdinārius (“regular, orderly”), from ōrdō (“order”).

Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What are antonyms of ordinary?

From Princeton WordNet 3.1.

Test yourself: do you know “ordinary”?

Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.

What does “ordinary” mean?

having a small distance from one end or edge to another, either horizontally or vertically

Not quite: that's what short means.

having no special characteristics or function; everyday, common, mundane; often deprecatory

Right! That's what “ordinary” means.

denoting or deriving from or distinctive of the ways of living built up by a group of people

Not quite: that's what cultural means.

no longer in existence; lost or especially having died out leaving no living representatives

Not quite: that's what extinct means.

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