Phrase guide

Sunday driver

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

One who drives slowly or inexpertly, as for leisure or sightseeing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • I was eager to get there, but I got stuck behind one Sunday driver after another on that trip.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

One who drives infrequently, and often poorly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Sunday + driver, Sunday being a popular day for leisure driving.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 龜速車 /龟速车 (gūisùchē) — one who drives slowly
  • Danish: søndagsbilist — one who drives slowly
  • Dutch: zondagsrijder — one who drives slowly
  • Finnish: sunnuntaiajelija — one who drives slowly
  • Finnish: sunnuntaiautoilija — one who drives slowly
  • French: conducteur du dimanche — one who drives slowly
  • German: Sonntagsfahrer — one who drives slowly
  • Italian: automobilista della domenica — one who drives slowly
  • Italian: automobilista da strapazzo — one who drives slowly
  • Japanese: サンデードライバー (sandē-doraibā) — one who drives slowly
  • Norwegian Bokmål: søndagskjører — one who drives slowly
  • Polish: niedzielny kierowca — one who drives slowly
  • Portuguese: domingueiro — one who drives slowly
  • Portuguese: domingueira — one who drives slowly
  • Portuguese: motorista de fim de semana — one who drives slowly
  • Spanish: dominguero — one who drives slowly
  • Swedish: söndagsbilist — one who drives slowly
  • Swedish: söndagsförare — one who drives slowly