Wednesday
Wednesday
Pronunciation
IPA Phonetic Spelling:
/ˈwɛnzdeɪ/ (General American, Received Pronunciation)
w - /w/ (as in "we")
e - /ɛ/ (as in "bed")
n - /n/ (as in "no")
z - /z/ (as in "zoo")
d - /d/ (as in "dog")
ay - /eɪ/ (as in "say")
Note: The 'd' in 'Wednes-' is often silent in common pronunciation, leading to the /wɛnzdeɪ/ spelling.
Word Form Variations
Wednesday" is primarily used as a noun to refer to a specific day of the week.
Noun:
Singular: Wednesday
Plural: Wednesdays
Adverb:
Wednesday (used adverbially, e.g., "I'm going there Wednesday.")
Wednesdays (used adverbially for recurring events, e.g., "We meet on Wednesdays.")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
The fourth day of the week, following Tuesday and preceding Thursday, traditionally observed as the midpoint of the working week.
Synonyms: Hump Day (informal, referring to the middle of the work week), Midweek
Antonyms: Weekend (as a general concept), Monday (beginning of week), Friday (end of week)
Adverb
On Wednesday; happening or scheduled for the day Wednesday.
Example: "The meeting is Wednesday morning."
Synonyms: (No single-word synonyms; "on Wednesday," "this coming Wednesday")
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms; "not on Wednesday," "tomorrow," "yesterday" depending on context)
Examples of Use
Books:
"On Wednesday mornings, I would often see him walking his dog in the park, a routine that seemed to calm his restless mind." (Stephen King, Lisey's Story, 2006)
Newspapers:
"The city council is set to vote on the controversial zoning proposal this coming Wednesday, following weeks of public debate." (The Boston Globe)
Online Publications:
"Our weekly webinar series, 'Digital Marketing Deep Dive,' will feature a guest expert every Wednesday at 2 PM EST." (HubSpot Blog)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
"What are you doing Wednesday?" (Line from the popular TV show The Addams Family, 1964-1966, referring to the character Wednesday Addams)
"It's Wednesday, my dudes!" (Popular internet meme phrase, often associated with a frog video, widely shared on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, ongoing)
"The new episode of our podcast drops every Wednesday morning, so tune in for fresh insights." (Podcast advertisement on Spotify)
General Public Discourse:
"Let's grab lunch on Wednesday."
"My yoga class is on Wednesdays at 6 PM."
"I've got a dentist appointment Wednesday morning, so I'll be in late."
10 Quotes Using Wednesday
"On Wednesdays, we wear pink." (Karen Smith in Mean Girls, film dialogue, 2004)
"They didn't want it good, they wanted it Wednesday." (Robert A. Heinlein, Friday, 1982)
"It's Wednesday. You're halfway to the weekend!" (Anonymous, widely used motivational phrase)
"When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere." (John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, 1951)
"Happy Hump Day! Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…" (Dory in Finding Nemo, 2003, widely associated with Wednesday as "Hump Day")
"My job is to give people who work hard all week something to enjoy on Wednesdays and Saturdays." (Arsene Wenger, football manager)
"I always give 100% at work: 10% Monday, 23% Tuesday, 40% Wednesday, 22% Thursday and 5% Friday." (Anonymous, popular workplace humor)
"It must be Wednesday, there goes that camel again." (Anonymous, common humorous phrase)
"On Wednesday afternoons, I could be practically anything." (Kit Williams, Masquerade, 1979)
"The only way I can get through Wednesday is by avoiding people who call it Hump Day." (Anonymous, widely shared humorous quote)
Etymology
The word "Wednesday" has a very interesting history that connects it to ancient Germanic mythology, specifically a powerful god.
It comes from the Old English word "Wōdnesdæg" (pronounced roughly like "WOAD-nes-day"). This Old English name literally meant "Woden's day" or "day of Woden."
Who was Woden? He was the chief Anglo-Saxon (Germanic) god, very similar to the Norse god Odin. Woden was associated with things like wisdom, poetry, magic, and often, war.
The Anglo-Saxons (who settled in England) got the idea of naming the days of the week after gods from the Romans, who had named their days after planets that were also Roman gods (like dies Mercurii for "day of Mercury"). When Germanic cultures encountered Roman ones, they often matched their own gods to the Roman ones in a process called interpretatio germanica. So, Woden was seen as the Germanic equivalent of the Roman god Mercury, and thus Mercury's day became Woden's day.
So, the first known use of "Wednesday" in English (as "Wōdnesdæg") was in the Old English period, before the 12th century. Its original meaning was directly "the day consecrated to Woden," the chief Anglo-Saxon deity. Over centuries, the pronunciation evolved, and the 'd' sound in "Wodnes-" often became silent, leading to our modern "Wednesday."
Phrases + Idioms Containing Wednesday
Hump Day (a common informal synonym for Wednesday, referring to the peak of the work week)
On Wednesdays, we wear pink (a famous pop culture reference)
Wednesday blues (a lesser-known variation of "Monday blues," referring to a mid-week slump)
Wet Wednesday (a phrase used to describe a rainy Wednesday)
Mad as a March Hare, but for a specific day: Mad as a Wednesday (original, using the day for emphasis)
Bloody Wednesday (referring to a Wednesday associated with violence or a major negative event)
Early Wednesday (meaning early on Wednesday morning)
Every other Wednesday (referring to bi-weekly occurrence)
It's always Wednesday somewhere (original, playing on the idea of time zones)
Wednesday wisdom (referring to insights or advice shared on Wednesdays)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of Wednesday from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
