monotony
Americannoun
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wearisome uniformity or lack of variety, as in occupation or scenery.
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the continuance of an unvarying sound; monotone.
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sameness of tone or pitch, as in speaking.
noun
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wearisome routine; dullness
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lack of variety in pitch or cadence
Etymology
Origin of monotony
1700–10; < Late Greek monotonía, equivalent to monóton ( os ) monotonous + -ia -y 3
Explanation
Monotony is when you have too much of a boring thing: one tone of voice going on and on, one piece of flat music playing over and over, one infomercial droning on and on. There is no variety in monotony. Monotony goes back to the Greek root monotonos, which comes from mono-, "single," and tonos, "tone." One tone only equals monotony. A day with a lot of repetition, or monotony, is humdrum. When you get too much of the same boring, one-note thing, you experience monotony. Monotony. Monotony.
Vocabulary lists containing monotony
The Things They Carried
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The Alchemist
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The Stranger
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While we all need periodic reminders that pierce through the monotony and horrors of the day, awe of nature and our fragile existence being paramount, we also need reminders that a better future is possible.
From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026
For John Winston Isidro, life aboard his VLCC, or Very Large Crude Carrier, has been marked by equal parts monotony and precaution since his ship began playing the waiting game.
From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026
Spilled pencils, overturned books and a crumbled cookie lay strewn about on her bedroom floor, halfhearted attempts to break up the monotony.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
Live tennis and live golf offer details that can’t be captured on television, but there are rules of decorum and big potential for monotony.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026
She was tired of arguing about whose turn it was to choose the Sunday night seven-thirty television show, of injustice, and of the monotony of everything.
From "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
