What does prosaic mean?
Word: Prosaic
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Prosaic means plain and everyday, with nothing poetic or exciting about it.
Synonyms: commonplace
How do you spell prosaic?
Syllables: pro - sa - ic
Tricky part: Two vowels sit side by side in the middle and both are said. Pupils swap them and end up with an ia.
Watch out for: prosiac, prosayic
Memory tip: A plain grey mosaic is a prosaic one: the a and the i sit in the same order in both.
Prosaic in a sentence
Example 1: After the magic of the film, the walk home seemed rather prosaic.
Example 2: The guide gave a prosaic account of the palace, listing only dates and measurements.
Example 3: Naina chose a prosaic title for her essay: My Summer Holiday.
Fun Fact
Prose is writing that is not poetry, and this word once meant simply written in prose. Its sense of lacking any sparkle came later, from the contrast with poetry.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
prosaicc
a) r
b) s
c) a
d) c
Show answer
d) c. A single final letter closes the word, as in music.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
Instead of a poem, he wrote a raopics note about the weather.
a) prosaic
b) prolific
c) pedantic
d) poetic
Show answer
a) prosaic. An s and an a, with no l, e or t, leave one option.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word prosaic as used in the sentence:
Her prosaic description of the waterfall left the class unmoved.
a) routine
b) flat
c) dull
d) imaginative
Show answer
d) imaginative. A description that stirs the class would need fresh ideas, which is what this option offers.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt wrongly. Choose its meaning:
1. tedious 2. prosaic 3. mundain 4. trivial
a) very ordinary and not at all interesting
b) long, slow and boring
c) of little importance
d) lacking colour or fancy in style
Show answer
a) very ordinary and not at all interesting. Mundane ends in ane, like plane.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which line about a sunset sounds the most prosaic?
a) Gold spilled over the sleeping hills.
b) The sky blushed as the day slipped away.
c) The sun went down at 6.15 this evening.
d) Night drew its soft curtain across us.
Show answer
c) The sun went down at 6.15 this evening.
2. Which of these excuses for being late is the most prosaic?
a) a hidden treasure map in the attic
b) a talking parrot on the doorstep
c) a missed bus on the usual route
d) a secret message from a stranger
Show answer
c) a missed bus on the usual route
