dreary

[ dreer-ee ]

adjective

, drear·i·er, drear·i·est.

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

Derived Forms

• ˈdreariness, noun
• ˈdrearily, adverb

Other Words From

• dreari·ly adverb
• dreari·ness noun
• dreari·some 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

Every time I think of my old idea of midlife — that dreary pasture full of drab linens — laughter bubbles out of me.

From Los Angeles Times

Kevin Maher at The Times also criticised Mescal and said he "disappoints in this dreary, Marvel-esque sequel".

From BBC

Nearly 1,000 miles northwest, green and yellow Green Bay Packers flags punctured the otherwise dreary, rainy gray skies, as the Wisconsin faithful replaced their trademark cheesehead hats with ponchos and tried to stay dry under pop-up tents before their contest with the Detroit Lions.

From Los Angeles Times

My quest in Montana had tanked my health, opened my dreary eyes, infested my brain.

From Slate

People still bought CDs in supermarkets and Woolworths, and the majority of those CDs were dreary, middle-of-the-road efforts by acts like Katie Melua, Il Divo and Keane.

From BBC

Related Words

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