C114 words · Advanced

Everyday Routines vocabulary — C1

Everyday Routines vocabulary for habits and how they are managed, including mundane, monotonous, declutter and rota — words for routines that form by themselves and ones people design.

14 questions

Words in this set

mundane
/mənˈdeɪn/
Ordinary and dull, with nothing interesting about it.
Example: My evenings are filled with mundane tasks like sorting post.
lie-in
A morning when you stay in bed much later than usual.
Example: I'm looking forward to a long lie-in on Sunday morning.
monotonous
/məˈnɑtənəs/
Boring because it never changes.
Example: Doing the same commute every day felt monotonous.
habitual
/həˈbɪtʃuəl/
Done so often that it has become automatic, almost without thinking.
Example: He gave his habitual nod and left for work.
ritualistic
/ˌrɪtʃuəˈlɪstɪk/
Done in a fixed, careful sequence, as if following a set of rules each time.
Example: She has a ritualistic way of laying out her clothes each night.
rut
/rʌt/
A boring, fixed way of living that is hard to change.
Example: We've fallen into a bit of a rut with our evenings.
clockwork
/ˈklɑˌkwɜrk/
Happening with perfect, reliable regularity, never varying.
Example: His morning runs happen like clockwork, rain or shine.
circadian
/sərˈkeɪdiən/
Relating to the natural twenty-four-hour cycle of the body.
Example: Shift work can badly disrupt your circadian rhythm.
treadmill
/ˈtrɛdˌmɪl/
A repetitive, tiring routine that feels like it never ends (figurative).
Example: She felt stuck on the daily treadmill of work and chores.
tedious
/ˈtidiəs/
Boring and taking too long.
Example: Filling in the same form every morning is tedious.
declutter
To make a room tidy by getting rid of things you no longer want.
Example: We spent all Sunday trying to declutter the spare room.
rota
/ˈroʊtə/
A list showing who does which shared job, and on which day.
Example: We stuck a cleaning rota on the fridge to stop arguments.
groggy
/ˈɡrɑɡi/
Weak and unable to think clearly, usually from tiredness or illness.
Example: I'm always groggy for an hour after my alarm goes off.
nod off
To start to fall asleep while you are sitting up, without meaning to.
Example: He nodded off halfway through the meeting yesterday.