Can the word “mundane” be used in positive sense





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Mundane means ordinary.The word is mostly used in negative sense.Can the word "mundane" be used in positive sense too?
Like"Mr.K is not a wasteful man.He leads a very mundane life."Another example can be"Miss ABC does not show off in front of others.She is a mundane girl."In the examples I am referring mundane to be "ordinary" and in positive sense.Can the examples be used? or is it wrong technically?










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  • 3





    In a word, yes. When the commonplace, everyday or ordinary (but not the banal) is desirable, what's mundane is a positive virtue. You're right that 'mundane' is often used with negative connotations, but it is not exclusively or necessarily so. Whether or not the word is understood negatively will depend on the context (connotations), and it will be up to the writer to make clear what sense is intended.

    – JEL
    May 25 '16 at 4:44






  • 3





    Sure: "After the police activity, its nice to return to a mundane commute"

    – user662852
    May 25 '16 at 15:55











  • "Aliens!" "Ghosts!!" "International conspiracy!!!" "No, there is a perfectly mundane explanation." (That sounds like a positive to me, but others may disagree, if they believe in aliens, for example.)

    – James Random
    yesterday


















2















Mundane means ordinary.The word is mostly used in negative sense.Can the word "mundane" be used in positive sense too?
Like"Mr.K is not a wasteful man.He leads a very mundane life."Another example can be"Miss ABC does not show off in front of others.She is a mundane girl."In the examples I am referring mundane to be "ordinary" and in positive sense.Can the examples be used? or is it wrong technically?










share|improve this question


















  • 3





    In a word, yes. When the commonplace, everyday or ordinary (but not the banal) is desirable, what's mundane is a positive virtue. You're right that 'mundane' is often used with negative connotations, but it is not exclusively or necessarily so. Whether or not the word is understood negatively will depend on the context (connotations), and it will be up to the writer to make clear what sense is intended.

    – JEL
    May 25 '16 at 4:44






  • 3





    Sure: "After the police activity, its nice to return to a mundane commute"

    – user662852
    May 25 '16 at 15:55











  • "Aliens!" "Ghosts!!" "International conspiracy!!!" "No, there is a perfectly mundane explanation." (That sounds like a positive to me, but others may disagree, if they believe in aliens, for example.)

    – James Random
    yesterday














2












2








2








Mundane means ordinary.The word is mostly used in negative sense.Can the word "mundane" be used in positive sense too?
Like"Mr.K is not a wasteful man.He leads a very mundane life."Another example can be"Miss ABC does not show off in front of others.She is a mundane girl."In the examples I am referring mundane to be "ordinary" and in positive sense.Can the examples be used? or is it wrong technically?










share|improve this question














Mundane means ordinary.The word is mostly used in negative sense.Can the word "mundane" be used in positive sense too?
Like"Mr.K is not a wasteful man.He leads a very mundane life."Another example can be"Miss ABC does not show off in front of others.She is a mundane girl."In the examples I am referring mundane to be "ordinary" and in positive sense.Can the examples be used? or is it wrong technically?







word-usage






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asked May 25 '16 at 4:32









Srija MukhopadhyaySrija Mukhopadhyay

111




111








  • 3





    In a word, yes. When the commonplace, everyday or ordinary (but not the banal) is desirable, what's mundane is a positive virtue. You're right that 'mundane' is often used with negative connotations, but it is not exclusively or necessarily so. Whether or not the word is understood negatively will depend on the context (connotations), and it will be up to the writer to make clear what sense is intended.

    – JEL
    May 25 '16 at 4:44






  • 3





    Sure: "After the police activity, its nice to return to a mundane commute"

    – user662852
    May 25 '16 at 15:55











  • "Aliens!" "Ghosts!!" "International conspiracy!!!" "No, there is a perfectly mundane explanation." (That sounds like a positive to me, but others may disagree, if they believe in aliens, for example.)

    – James Random
    yesterday














  • 3





    In a word, yes. When the commonplace, everyday or ordinary (but not the banal) is desirable, what's mundane is a positive virtue. You're right that 'mundane' is often used with negative connotations, but it is not exclusively or necessarily so. Whether or not the word is understood negatively will depend on the context (connotations), and it will be up to the writer to make clear what sense is intended.

    – JEL
    May 25 '16 at 4:44






  • 3





    Sure: "After the police activity, its nice to return to a mundane commute"

    – user662852
    May 25 '16 at 15:55











  • "Aliens!" "Ghosts!!" "International conspiracy!!!" "No, there is a perfectly mundane explanation." (That sounds like a positive to me, but others may disagree, if they believe in aliens, for example.)

    – James Random
    yesterday








3




3





In a word, yes. When the commonplace, everyday or ordinary (but not the banal) is desirable, what's mundane is a positive virtue. You're right that 'mundane' is often used with negative connotations, but it is not exclusively or necessarily so. Whether or not the word is understood negatively will depend on the context (connotations), and it will be up to the writer to make clear what sense is intended.

– JEL
May 25 '16 at 4:44





In a word, yes. When the commonplace, everyday or ordinary (but not the banal) is desirable, what's mundane is a positive virtue. You're right that 'mundane' is often used with negative connotations, but it is not exclusively or necessarily so. Whether or not the word is understood negatively will depend on the context (connotations), and it will be up to the writer to make clear what sense is intended.

– JEL
May 25 '16 at 4:44




3




3





Sure: "After the police activity, its nice to return to a mundane commute"

– user662852
May 25 '16 at 15:55





Sure: "After the police activity, its nice to return to a mundane commute"

– user662852
May 25 '16 at 15:55













"Aliens!" "Ghosts!!" "International conspiracy!!!" "No, there is a perfectly mundane explanation." (That sounds like a positive to me, but others may disagree, if they believe in aliens, for example.)

– James Random
yesterday





"Aliens!" "Ghosts!!" "International conspiracy!!!" "No, there is a perfectly mundane explanation." (That sounds like a positive to me, but others may disagree, if they believe in aliens, for example.)

– James Random
yesterday










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes


















1














It isn't technically wrong, but it's almost certain to be misunderstood by the listener. Consider instead:





  • frugal (the opposite of wasteful)

  • unassuming

  • modest

  • humble

  • unpretentious






share|improve this answer
























  • so the examples written by me are correct?

    – Srija Mukhopadhyay
    May 25 '16 at 4:53











  • If I read the examples with "mundane", I would not be sure of the writer's intention. @Malvolio's examples are excellent.

    – Law29
    May 25 '16 at 6:10



















1














'Mundane' with the meaning of 'dull and ordinary' (as opposed to 'worldly') is almost always used negatively (or at best neutrally). A positive sense can only be accomplished by a context that somehow makes both dull and ordinary positive qualities.



Replacement by either 'dull' or 'ordinary' might be a good idea.






share|improve this answer


























  • You are citing another answer to the same question as your source. This isn't kosher.

    – ab2
    Aug 7 '16 at 23:00











  • @ab2 OK. Removed.

    – Keep these mind
    Aug 8 '16 at 6:08



















0














Technically, in the denotative (dictionary) meaning, it is not correct, but it may be misunderstood. It has a bad connotation, as in: boring, uneventful.



Here are words with better connotations.




  • Peaceful

  • Modest

  • Practical






share|improve this answer































    0














    Mark Strand's poem, The Continuous Life, introduces mundane as something deeply positive, in that the parents' devotion to the ordinary things of life is what gives freedom to children, both in the immediate and in the future.



    The poem begins like this...



    What of the neighborhood homes awash
    In a silver light, of children hunched in the bushes,
    Watching the grown-ups for signs of surrender,
    Signs that the irregular pleasures of moving
    From day to day, of being adrift on the swell of duty,
    Have run their course? O parents, confess
    To your little ones the night is a long way off
    And your taste for the mundane grows; tell them
    Your worship of household chores has barely begun;





    share|improve this answer
























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      4 Answers
      4






      active

      oldest

      votes








      4 Answers
      4






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      1














      It isn't technically wrong, but it's almost certain to be misunderstood by the listener. Consider instead:





      • frugal (the opposite of wasteful)

      • unassuming

      • modest

      • humble

      • unpretentious






      share|improve this answer
























      • so the examples written by me are correct?

        – Srija Mukhopadhyay
        May 25 '16 at 4:53











      • If I read the examples with "mundane", I would not be sure of the writer's intention. @Malvolio's examples are excellent.

        – Law29
        May 25 '16 at 6:10
















      1














      It isn't technically wrong, but it's almost certain to be misunderstood by the listener. Consider instead:





      • frugal (the opposite of wasteful)

      • unassuming

      • modest

      • humble

      • unpretentious






      share|improve this answer
























      • so the examples written by me are correct?

        – Srija Mukhopadhyay
        May 25 '16 at 4:53











      • If I read the examples with "mundane", I would not be sure of the writer's intention. @Malvolio's examples are excellent.

        – Law29
        May 25 '16 at 6:10














      1












      1








      1







      It isn't technically wrong, but it's almost certain to be misunderstood by the listener. Consider instead:





      • frugal (the opposite of wasteful)

      • unassuming

      • modest

      • humble

      • unpretentious






      share|improve this answer













      It isn't technically wrong, but it's almost certain to be misunderstood by the listener. Consider instead:





      • frugal (the opposite of wasteful)

      • unassuming

      • modest

      • humble

      • unpretentious







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered May 25 '16 at 4:42









      MalvolioMalvolio

      24.6k85189




      24.6k85189













      • so the examples written by me are correct?

        – Srija Mukhopadhyay
        May 25 '16 at 4:53











      • If I read the examples with "mundane", I would not be sure of the writer's intention. @Malvolio's examples are excellent.

        – Law29
        May 25 '16 at 6:10



















      • so the examples written by me are correct?

        – Srija Mukhopadhyay
        May 25 '16 at 4:53











      • If I read the examples with "mundane", I would not be sure of the writer's intention. @Malvolio's examples are excellent.

        – Law29
        May 25 '16 at 6:10

















      so the examples written by me are correct?

      – Srija Mukhopadhyay
      May 25 '16 at 4:53





      so the examples written by me are correct?

      – Srija Mukhopadhyay
      May 25 '16 at 4:53













      If I read the examples with "mundane", I would not be sure of the writer's intention. @Malvolio's examples are excellent.

      – Law29
      May 25 '16 at 6:10





      If I read the examples with "mundane", I would not be sure of the writer's intention. @Malvolio's examples are excellent.

      – Law29
      May 25 '16 at 6:10













      1














      'Mundane' with the meaning of 'dull and ordinary' (as opposed to 'worldly') is almost always used negatively (or at best neutrally). A positive sense can only be accomplished by a context that somehow makes both dull and ordinary positive qualities.



      Replacement by either 'dull' or 'ordinary' might be a good idea.






      share|improve this answer


























      • You are citing another answer to the same question as your source. This isn't kosher.

        – ab2
        Aug 7 '16 at 23:00











      • @ab2 OK. Removed.

        – Keep these mind
        Aug 8 '16 at 6:08
















      1














      'Mundane' with the meaning of 'dull and ordinary' (as opposed to 'worldly') is almost always used negatively (or at best neutrally). A positive sense can only be accomplished by a context that somehow makes both dull and ordinary positive qualities.



      Replacement by either 'dull' or 'ordinary' might be a good idea.






      share|improve this answer


























      • You are citing another answer to the same question as your source. This isn't kosher.

        – ab2
        Aug 7 '16 at 23:00











      • @ab2 OK. Removed.

        – Keep these mind
        Aug 8 '16 at 6:08














      1












      1








      1







      'Mundane' with the meaning of 'dull and ordinary' (as opposed to 'worldly') is almost always used negatively (or at best neutrally). A positive sense can only be accomplished by a context that somehow makes both dull and ordinary positive qualities.



      Replacement by either 'dull' or 'ordinary' might be a good idea.






      share|improve this answer















      'Mundane' with the meaning of 'dull and ordinary' (as opposed to 'worldly') is almost always used negatively (or at best neutrally). A positive sense can only be accomplished by a context that somehow makes both dull and ordinary positive qualities.



      Replacement by either 'dull' or 'ordinary' might be a good idea.







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited Aug 8 '16 at 6:07

























      answered Aug 7 '16 at 18:52









      Keep these mindKeep these mind

      2,05122026




      2,05122026













      • You are citing another answer to the same question as your source. This isn't kosher.

        – ab2
        Aug 7 '16 at 23:00











      • @ab2 OK. Removed.

        – Keep these mind
        Aug 8 '16 at 6:08



















      • You are citing another answer to the same question as your source. This isn't kosher.

        – ab2
        Aug 7 '16 at 23:00











      • @ab2 OK. Removed.

        – Keep these mind
        Aug 8 '16 at 6:08

















      You are citing another answer to the same question as your source. This isn't kosher.

      – ab2
      Aug 7 '16 at 23:00





      You are citing another answer to the same question as your source. This isn't kosher.

      – ab2
      Aug 7 '16 at 23:00













      @ab2 OK. Removed.

      – Keep these mind
      Aug 8 '16 at 6:08





      @ab2 OK. Removed.

      – Keep these mind
      Aug 8 '16 at 6:08











      0














      Technically, in the denotative (dictionary) meaning, it is not correct, but it may be misunderstood. It has a bad connotation, as in: boring, uneventful.



      Here are words with better connotations.




      • Peaceful

      • Modest

      • Practical






      share|improve this answer




























        0














        Technically, in the denotative (dictionary) meaning, it is not correct, but it may be misunderstood. It has a bad connotation, as in: boring, uneventful.



        Here are words with better connotations.




        • Peaceful

        • Modest

        • Practical






        share|improve this answer


























          0












          0








          0







          Technically, in the denotative (dictionary) meaning, it is not correct, but it may be misunderstood. It has a bad connotation, as in: boring, uneventful.



          Here are words with better connotations.




          • Peaceful

          • Modest

          • Practical






          share|improve this answer













          Technically, in the denotative (dictionary) meaning, it is not correct, but it may be misunderstood. It has a bad connotation, as in: boring, uneventful.



          Here are words with better connotations.




          • Peaceful

          • Modest

          • Practical







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered Aug 7 '16 at 18:38









          Skylar BlackSkylar Black

          12




          12























              0














              Mark Strand's poem, The Continuous Life, introduces mundane as something deeply positive, in that the parents' devotion to the ordinary things of life is what gives freedom to children, both in the immediate and in the future.



              The poem begins like this...



              What of the neighborhood homes awash
              In a silver light, of children hunched in the bushes,
              Watching the grown-ups for signs of surrender,
              Signs that the irregular pleasures of moving
              From day to day, of being adrift on the swell of duty,
              Have run their course? O parents, confess
              To your little ones the night is a long way off
              And your taste for the mundane grows; tell them
              Your worship of household chores has barely begun;





              share|improve this answer




























                0














                Mark Strand's poem, The Continuous Life, introduces mundane as something deeply positive, in that the parents' devotion to the ordinary things of life is what gives freedom to children, both in the immediate and in the future.



                The poem begins like this...



                What of the neighborhood homes awash
                In a silver light, of children hunched in the bushes,
                Watching the grown-ups for signs of surrender,
                Signs that the irregular pleasures of moving
                From day to day, of being adrift on the swell of duty,
                Have run their course? O parents, confess
                To your little ones the night is a long way off
                And your taste for the mundane grows; tell them
                Your worship of household chores has barely begun;





                share|improve this answer


























                  0












                  0








                  0







                  Mark Strand's poem, The Continuous Life, introduces mundane as something deeply positive, in that the parents' devotion to the ordinary things of life is what gives freedom to children, both in the immediate and in the future.



                  The poem begins like this...



                  What of the neighborhood homes awash
                  In a silver light, of children hunched in the bushes,
                  Watching the grown-ups for signs of surrender,
                  Signs that the irregular pleasures of moving
                  From day to day, of being adrift on the swell of duty,
                  Have run their course? O parents, confess
                  To your little ones the night is a long way off
                  And your taste for the mundane grows; tell them
                  Your worship of household chores has barely begun;





                  share|improve this answer













                  Mark Strand's poem, The Continuous Life, introduces mundane as something deeply positive, in that the parents' devotion to the ordinary things of life is what gives freedom to children, both in the immediate and in the future.



                  The poem begins like this...



                  What of the neighborhood homes awash
                  In a silver light, of children hunched in the bushes,
                  Watching the grown-ups for signs of surrender,
                  Signs that the irregular pleasures of moving
                  From day to day, of being adrift on the swell of duty,
                  Have run their course? O parents, confess
                  To your little ones the night is a long way off
                  And your taste for the mundane grows; tell them
                  Your worship of household chores has barely begun;






                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered Oct 4 '17 at 22:26









                  Global CharmGlobal Charm

                  2,8552413




                  2,8552413






























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