This word has two meanings. On the one hand, prosaic is something that has to do with prose, that is, the most common form of expression and which is opposed to verse. In a second sense, it indicates something that is vulgar, uninteresting, dull, and overly conventional. With regard to its etymology, this word comes from the Latin prosaicus, which in its origins refers to prose in opposition to poetry.
Poetic Language Vs Prosaic Language
In relation to the language , the poetry is associated with the beauty and the originality, consequently, the non-poetic language (the prose) is evaluated like a more common and less attractive expression.
Verse and prose are two ways of expressing ideas. Poetic language has a particular dimension and characteristics: a sense of rhythm, the use of rhetorical figures (for example, metaphor), a certain intonation to emphasize words, a symbolism and, definitely, the use of words with expressiveness, lyricism and wealth. On the contrary, prosaic language is more direct and precise, as its purpose is to convey ideas effectively.
Despite these differences between one form of expression or another, the poetic is not to be understood as better or worse than the prosaic. In fact, these are two different approaches to language , but they can be compatible (there are poems with a prosaic style and written in prose with elements proper to poetry).
The use of one language or another depends on the context and intention of the speaker. So, when talking about love or deep feelings , prosaic language is inappropriate and, on the contrary, when we want to explain an event with rigor and objectivity (for example, a traffic accident ) the poetic style is totally inadequate.
something or someone with little interest
A way of speaking, a person or a way of life can be classified as prosaic. Thus, when a person speaks without saying anything interesting, using topics and lacking originality, it can be said to have a prosaic speech.
When a person is boring and monotonous and his life is generally not very stimulating, it can be said that he is a person with a prosaic existence. Consequently, the prosaic is everything that manifests itself in a vulgar, simple, conventional and insulating way. Some synonyms for prosaic are ordinary, boring, mediocre, or common.
