Bromidic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /bɹoʊˈmɪdɪk/

Definitions

1. Devoid of new ideas, often regarded as tedious or commonplace
2. Marked by an absence of creativity, resulting in banality or monotony
3. Showing a complete absence of originality, resulting in something dull and predictable

Etymology: Bromidic describes speech or writing that is stale, flat and utterly predictable. Its root is "bromide," which in the sense of a platitude or a dull, unimaginative person came from the older sense of a sedative. The medicinal bromide was a substance once used to calm nerves, and by a figurative extension it came to describe words that soothed the listener into boredom rather than stirring any thought. The noun "bromide" in this figurative sense was applied to a dull person or a trite remark, and the adjective "bromidic" was formed on it by adding the suffix "-ic," which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "having the character of." So a bromidic remark is one that has the character of a bromide: calming, familiar, and forgettable. The suffix is the ordinary English "-ic," which has passed through Latin and Old French, but the word itself is a recent English formation built on the figurative noun rather than on any older classical root.

Synonyms: trite, stale, banal, clichéd, unoriginal

Antonyms: original, fresh, novel, innovative, inspired