Synonyms of ordinary
109 similar words · 2 opposite words
Another word for ordinary is standard. Other synonyms of ordinary are normal, average, usual, common and natural.
Synonyms and similar words for ordinary
adjectiveBeing part of the natural order of things; normal, customary, routine.
- commonplaceOrdinary; not having any remarkable characteristics.
- plainSimple in habits or qualities; unsophisticated, not exceptional, ordinary.
- usualMost commonly occurring; typical.
- averageNeither very good nor very bad; rated somewhere in the middle of all others in the same category.
- medial
- basicUnremarkable or uninteresting; boring; uncool.
- bog-standard derogatoryUtterly basic, ordinary, or standard; unremarkable, unexceptional, etc.
- commonOccurring or happening regularly or frequently; usual.
- common-and-garden UKOrdinary, standard.
- common-or-garden Ireland, UKOrdinary, standard.
- congruent
- consistent
- conventionalOrdinary, commonplace.
- customary
- everydayCommonplace, ordinary.
- expectedAnticipated; thought to be about to arrive or occur.
- garden varietyOrdinary, common, or unexceptional.
- improminentNot prominent.
- mundaneOrdinary; not new; part of the mainstream culture.
- naturalAs expected; reasonable, normal; naturally arising from the given circumstances.
- normalAccording to norms or rules or to a regular pattern.
- par for the courseNormal; common; to be expected. (Often connotes something undesirable).
- par
- plain vanillaSynonym of garden variety.
- quotidianHaving the characteristics of something which can be seen, experienced, etc, every day or very commonly.
- regularHaving the expected characteristics or appearances; normal, ordinary, standard.
- routineOrdinary with nothing to distinguish it from all the others.
- run-of-the-millOrdinary; not special.
- standardFalling within an accepted range of size, amount, power, quality, etc.
- standard issueNot special or remarkable; conventional.
- typicalNormal, average; to be expected.
- unexceptionalNot exceptional.
- unremarkableNot remarkable.
- unstrangeNot strange.
- vulgarCommon, usual; of the typical kind.
- wakeadayMundane (as one wakes up to each day).
- workadayMundane or commonplace.
adjectiveHaving no special characteristics or function; everyday, common, mundane; often deprecatory.
- lacklusterNot exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality.
- pedestrianOrdinary, dull; everyday; unexceptional.
- comme ci comme çaNeither good nor bad; so so; tolerable, passable, indifferent.
- crappyBad, sick, or depressed.
- moderate
- decent
- indifferentMediocre (usually used negatively in modern usage).
- mehMediocre; lackluster; unexceptional; uninspiring.
- mediocreNot excellent or outstanding, usually disappointingly so.
- mid slangMediocre; of middling quality.
- middlingOf intermediate or average size, position, or quality; mediocre.
- no great shakesSomething unexceptional, not noteworthy or special.
- nothing to write home aboutNot exceptional; not noteworthy or especially good.
- not worth writing home aboutBeing nothing to write home about; unremarkable and mediocre.
- OK
- okayishSomewhat okay; tolerable.
- uninspiringNot inspiring.
- shitty vulgarVery bad; unpleasant; miserable; insignificant.
- so-so informalNeither good nor bad; tolerable, passable, indifferent.
- ok-ok IndiaNeither good nor bad; passable.
- tolerableModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so.
- whateverUnexceptional or unimportant; blah.
adjectiveBad or undesirable.
- awful
- horrible
- terrible
- abysmal figuratively
- atrocious
- bad
- chronic slang
- coarse
- cornyUncool, stupid, lame.
- crap slang, vulgarOf poor quality.
- crummy slangBad; poor.
- direBad in quality, awful, terrible.
- disagreeable
- dismal
- dogshit vulgar
- dreadful
- fifth-rateTerrible, awful; less than fourth-rate.
- foul
- fourth-rateTerrible, awful; less than third-rate.
- godawful
- hellishCausing great pain, discomfort or distress.
- hideous
- hopeless
- horrendousExtremely bad; awful; terrible.
- horrid
- horrificCausing horror; horrifying.
- inadequateNot adequate; lacking in quality or quantity required; insufficient for a purpose.
- incompetentLacking the degree of ability and responsibility necessary to do a task successfully.
- inelegantNot elegant; not exhibiting neatness, refinement, or precision.
- intolerable
- inferiorOf low rank, standard or quality.
- loathsomeHighly offensive; abominable, sickening.
- lousy
- miserable
- naff slang
- negativeNot positive or neutral; bad; undesirable; unfavourable.
- odiousArousing or meriting strong dislike, aversion, or intense displeasure.
- pathetic
- peakBad.
- piss-poorReflecting a low standard of workmanship or achievement; very inferior.
- rottenBad or terrible.
- rubbish Australia, colloquialExceedingly bad; awful.
- shitawful vulgarVery awful.
- sixth-rateTerrible, awful; less than fifth-rate.
- sloppy
- subpar
- unfavorable
- wackAnnoyingly or disappointingly bad, in various senses; lousy, corny, cringy, uncool, messed up.
- crapalicious rare, slangWorthless; bad.
- deityforsaken humorous, rareGodforsaken; particularly bad or terrible.
Opposite of ordinary
adjectiveHaving no special characteristics or function; everyday, common, mundane; often deprecatory.
- extraordinaryOut of the ordinary; exceptional; unusual.
- special
Meaning of ordinary
- noun A person having immediate jurisdiction in a given case of ecclesiastical law, such as the bishop within a diocese.
- noun A courier; someone delivering mail or post.
- noun A judge with the authority to deal with cases himself or herself rather than by delegation.
ordinary in other languages
Questions about synonyms of ordinary
- What is another word for ordinary?
- Ordinary has 109 synonyms on Word.ws, such as standard, normal, average, usual, common, natural, everyday and conventional.
- What is the opposite of ordinary?
- The opposite of ordinary is extraordinary. Other antonyms of ordinary are special.
- What does ordinary mean?
- Ordinary means a person having immediate jurisdiction in a given case of ecclesiastical law, such as the bishop within a diocese.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: ordinary (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of ordinary.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/ordinary. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.