dreary

[dreer-ee]

adjective

drearier, dreariest 

1. causing sadness or gloom.

   Synonyms: comfortless, depressing, cheerless, drear, dismal, gloomy
   Antonyms: cheerful

2. dull; boring.

   Synonyms: tiresome, wearisome, monotonous, tedious
   Antonyms: interesting

3. sorrowful; sad.

dreary

/ ˈdrɪərɪ /

adjective

1. sad or dull; dismal

2. wearying; boring

3. archaic,  miserable

Other Word Forms

• drearily adverb
• dreariness noun
• drearisome adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dreary¹

before 900; Middle English drery, Old English drēorig gory, cruel, sad, equivalent to drēor gore + -ig -y ¹; akin to Old Norse dreyrigr bloody, German traurig sad

Word History and Origins

Origin of dreary¹

Old English drēorig gory; related to Old High German trūreg sad

Example Sentences

Allen closed his essay emphasizing the significance of Keaton’s death: “A few days ago the world was a place that included Diane Keaton. Now it’s a world that does not. Hence it’s a drearier world.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He added that the world was now a "drearier" place without her in it.

Read more on BBC

“Once upon a midnight dreary, / while I pondered, weak and weary . . . .” Thus begins the most celebrated spooky poem by the most celebrated of spooky 19th-century American writers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They become just another dreary NFL team, muddling through sadness and ineptitude.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

After the dreary “Cancelled!,” another song about haters, you start to realize Ms. Swift ran out of things to say on this subject long ago.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bleak 
• boring 
• colorless 
• damp 
• depressing 
• dingy 
• dismal 
• drab 
• dull 
• forlorn 
• humdrum 
• lonely 
• monotonous 
• sad 
• somber 
• tedious 
• uneventful 
• uninteresting 
• windy 
• wintry