Most of us know pedestrian as a noun meaning someone who travels on foot. But the adjective sense of pedestrian as defined here is actually its original meaning. To be pedestrian was to be drab or dull, as if plodding along on foot rather than speeding on horseback or by coach. Pedestrian is often used to describe a colorless or lifeless writing style, but it can also describe politicians, public tastes, personal qualities, or possessions. In comparison with the elaborate stage shows put on by today's rock artists, for instance, most of the stage presentations of 1960s rock stars seem pedestrian.
Adjective He lived a pedestrian life, working at the paper mill and living in his trailer. pedestrian concerns like paying the bills and getting the kids to school on timeNoun The car slid off the road and almost hit a group of pedestrians.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The city of Portland commemorated Stacey’s commitment to land conservation and transportation planning earlier this year, renaming a pedestrian bridge after him near the Southeast 12th Avenue and Clinton Street MAX station.oregonlive, 9 Sep. 2022 The money will be applied toward the pedestrian bridge.al, 25 Aug. 2022 There’s a stunning new pedestrian bridge over the Fox River that offers new places to park and stroll in, or the venue has always been walking distance from the Metra.Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2022 The woman drove across a pedestrian bridge from a parking garage and entered the mall through automatic double doors where a safety post had been removed after a recent accident, the department said. Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 20 Aug. 2022 Police say the driver entered the mall from the south garage via a pedestrian bridge. Nick Stoico, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Aug. 2022 This new pedestrian bridge, along with the current construction of a South Central extension of the light rail line, will revolutionize the commute and help connect their area to downtown. Gregory Svirnovskiy, The Arizona Republic, 11 Aug. 2022 Motorcyclists raced under a pedestrian bridge to pick up some who had climbed down on ropes. Ian Johnson, The New York Review of Books, 3 Aug. 2022 With the Nickel Plate Trail tunnel downtown now open, Fishers officials are speeding ahead to build a pedestrian bridge over 96th Street to connect to Indianapolis. John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 26 July 2022
Noun
JoJo's Shake Bar will open at 88 W. Columbia, a pedestrian-friendly street between the Fox Theater and Little Caesars world headquarters. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 12 Sep. 2022 Some games' tips are pedestrian, while others, particularly Tournament Fighters' move guides and the original NES game's complete maps, are downright essential. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 29 Aug. 2022 Bicycle and pedestrian lanes on the east and west ends of the Morrison Bridge narrow to seven feet beginning Monday, Aug. 8.oregonlive, 8 Aug. 2022 There will be a Kid Zone to help children learn bicycle and pedestrian rules, how to safely board and exit a school bus, and what to do during a house fire. John Benson, cleveland, 5 Aug. 2022 Other project aspects include bridge reconstruction, adding a diverging diamond interchange, and adding bicycle and pedestrian paths in addition to other mobility changes. Katy Barber, Chron, 27 June 2022 Of those, 17 adjoin a 20,000-square-foot courtyard with abundant foliage and 10 units line a pedestrian-only street. Anthony Paletta, WSJ, 24 Aug. 2022 There's a certain childlike, giddy joy that comes from being a pedestrian and seeing a giant hot dog driving down city streets. Cady Stanton, USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2022 The pedestrian, identified as 68-year-old Elena Laos, was hit and suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash. Mike Mavredakis, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Noun
Latin pedestr-, pedester, literally, going on foot, from ped-, pes foot — more at foot