Meaning
ordinary, usual, normal, customary
- average
- permanent (member of staff)
- vulgar, common
In a sentence
È una giornata ordinaria, niente di speciale.
It’s an ordinary day, nothing special.
Non è un risultato ordinario per la sua età.
It’s not an average result for his age.
Sei ancora professore ordinario all'università?
Are you still a full professor at the university?
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| ordinario | masculine · singular |
| ordinaria | feminine · singular |
| ordinari | masculine · plural |
| ordinarie | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- For people, ordinario can sound insulting: "volgare" or low-class. Use normale or comune if you just mean typical.
- In everyday speech, comune or normale are often more natural than ordinario for "ordinary" things.
- As "permanent staff," ordinario is mainly formal or institutional: professore ordinario, socio ordinario.