everyday

everyday — adjective

1. describes the normal things that are part of regular daily life, not special or

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes the normal things that are part of regular daily life, not special or unusual

Example

Ayesha carries an everyday bag that holds her wallet, phone, and keys.

attributive use with nouns for possessions / tools

Fixing a broken drawer is an everyday task for someone who works in a school.

collocation: everyday task

Common collocations
  • everyday life
  • everyday problems
  • everyday objects
  • everyday clothes
  • everyday routine
  • everyday tasks
  • everyday words
  • everyday language
  • everyday use
  • everyday activities
  • everyday situations
Synonyms
  • ordinary

    the closest synonym; interchangeable in most contexts, though ordinary can also carry a slightly negative tone ('just ordinary') that everyday does not

  • routine

    focuses on the habitual, predictable nature of something; stronger than everyday in suggesting a fixed schedule

  • daily

    emphasises frequency (every day) rather than ordinariness; daily can describe things that are important but happen each day

  • commonplace

    more formal than everyday; suggests that something is so common it is unremarkable

Antonyms
  • extraordinary

    formal; describes something very unusual, remarkable, or impressive

  • special

    describes something that is not ordinary because it has a particular purpose, quality, or importance

  • unusual

    describes something that is not typical or normal

Grammar Patterns

everyday + noun

Usage Note

Unlike most adjectives, everyday is almost always placed before the noun it describes (attributive position). You would say 'everyday life', not 'life is everyday'. Avoid using it after linking verbs such as be, seem, or feel.

Common Mistakes

I go to the gym everyday.
I go to the gym every day.
'everyday' (one word) is an adjective that describes nouns; 'every day' (two words) is an adverbial phrase meaning 'each day'.

Word family

  • every day
    adverbA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Everyday, ordinary, and routine all describe what is normal rather than special, but they differ in emphasis. Everyday highlights the connection to regular daily life — the things you encounter as part of a normal day. Ordinary focuses on the lack of special qualities ('an ordinary Tuesday') and can carry a mild negative tone ('just an ordinary meal') that everyday usually avoids. Routine stresses predictability and habit: a routine task is something you do the same way at the same time each day. Daily is narrower — it refers strictly to frequency ('a daily shower') without implying ordinariness. Commonplace and mundane are more formal; commonplace suggests something is so common it draws no attention, while mundane can carry a tone of boring disappointment ('mundane household chores'). In casual speech, everyday and ordinary are the safest choices.

ordinary ↗routine ↗daily ↗commonplace ↗mundane ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • in everyday life
  • part of everyday life

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

A compound of 'every' and 'day', formed in Middle English. The original meaning was 'occurring every day' (like daily), but by the 1700s it had developed the broader sense of 'ordinary, usual' — referring to anything typical of daily experience rather than just things that happen each day.