everyday

[ adjective ev-ree-dey; noun ev-ree-dey ]

adjective

1. of or relating to every day; daily:

   an everyday occurrence.

2. of or for ordinary days, as contrasted with Sundays, holidays, or special occasions:

   everyday clothes.

   Synonyms: usual, common, workday

3. such as is met with every day; ordinary; commonplace:

   a placid, everyday scene.

   Synonyms: usual, common, workday

noun

1. the routine or ordinary day or occasion:

   We use inexpensive plates for everyday.

everyday

/ ˈɛvrɪˌdeɪ /

adjective

1. happening each day; daily
2. commonplace or usual; ordinary
3. suitable for or used on ordinary days as distinct from Sundays or special days

Other Words From

• every·dayness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of everyday¹

First recorded in 1325–75, everyday is from the Middle English word everydayes. See every, day

Example Sentences

Tapping these discs and plates generates useful voltage that if amplified could be used to charge electronic devices using everyday forces.

From Science Daily

A new study from researchers at Kumamoto University sheds light on a potential link between exposure to certain everyday chemicals during pregnancy and the development of asthma in children.

From Science Daily

The research found that such imbalance can lead to everyday action slips such as inadvertently entering an old password instead of the current one.

From Science Daily

“Our broken Healthcare System harms everyday Americans, and crushes our Country’s budget,” Trump said.

From Los Angeles Times

“Our model is everyday low prices. But there probably will be cases where prices will go up for consumers.”

From Salon

Related Words

• commonplace
• frequent
• mundane
• normal
• ordinary
• prosaic
• usual
• workaday

Everyday Vs. Every Day

What’s the difference between everyday and every day?

Everyday is most commonly used as an adjective meaning daily or, in a more figurative sense, ordinary, as in an everyday occurrence. The phrase every day means each day—it functions as an adverb to describe how frequently an action is done, as in I try to exercise every day. 

Think of it this way: everyday is used to describe nouns, while every day is used to describe verbs.

For example, a person might aspire to go for a run every day, eat vegetables every day, and read every day. If they did these things every day (or most days), these activities would constitute part of their everyday routine.

If you can replace the term with regular or ordinary, use everyday. If you can replace it with each day, use every day. Careful—the word daily can be used to replace both terms in certain situations (such as I exercise every day and This is one of my everyday exercises).

Here’s an example of everyday and every day used correctly in the same sentence.

Example: Every day this week I’ve tried to change one thing about my everyday routine.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between everyday and every day.

Quiz yourself on everyday vs. every day!

Should everyday or every day be used in the following sentence?

I see my sister _____ except Saturday.