What does lackaday mean?
Lackaday is an old-fashioned adjective meaning poor, inferior, or inadequate in quality. It can describe anything deemed meager, shabby, or below an acceptable standard, although modern speakers rarely use it in neutral contexts. Its best-known appearance is in the expression “lackaday times,” which characterizes a period as difficult, unpleasant, or impoverished. The word may sound deliberately antiquated in contemporary writing, giving speeches, narration, or humorous dialogue a period flavor. It should not be confused with “lackadaisical,” which describes a person or thing that is tired, listless, or deficient in enthusiasm rather than poor in material quality. Although lackaday is no longer common in everyday speech, it remains useful as a precise marker of historical or literary register.
adjectiveOf a poor, inferior, or inadequate kind. The word is now chiefly literary or obsolete.
- Of a poor, inferior, or inadequate kind.
"They endured the lackaday comforts of the temporary camp."
"These be lackaday times, when even a modest harvest is cause for celebration."
"The travelers were given a lackaday meal before setting out at dawn."
Once a forceful old-fashioned complaint, “lackaday” now survives most visibly in the phrase “lackaday times.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of lackaday
Lackaday was formed in early modern English from the elements “lack” and “day.” It later became established as an adjective in expressions such as “lackaday times,” where it denotes conditions or things of an inferior or impoverished kind. Today it survives mainly in literary, historical, and deliberately archaic usage.
Related word forms
How lackaday is actually used
This is an archaic or literary term rather than ordinary modern English. It is chiefly encountered in deliberately old-fashioned language and in the expression “lackaday times.”
Easily confused with lackaday
Lackaday means poor or inferior in quality, whereas lackadaisical means lacking enthusiasm or energy.