humdrum
Americanadjective
noun
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humdrum character or routine; monotony.
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monotonous or tedious talk.
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Archaic. a dull, boring person.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of humdrum
1545–55; earlier humtrum, rhyming compound based on hum
Explanation
Something humdrum is dull, tedious, and totally boring. If a regular old photography class sounds too humdrum, you might instead sign up for Underwater Photography of Marine Predators. Don't forget your wetsuit! Anything that you can call humdrum is so severely lacking in variety and excitement that it's sure to make you hum and drum your fingers out of boredom. Humdrum is an adjective to describe the unglamorous monotony of everyday routines. It's the same old thing, again and again, over and over. Humdrum can also mean predictable, mind-numbing and not very challenging — hopefully the complete opposite of your social life.
Vocabulary lists containing humdrum
30 GRE Words Beginning with "G" and "H"
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This Is Not a Drill: Synonyms for "Boring"
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The Chocolate War
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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.
He broke through in 2009 with his single "Humdrum Town", and went on to collaborate with Kanye West and Tame Impala.
From BBC • Jan. 5, 2023
For four out of every five years, Kassel is a relatively Humdrum town.
From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2022
Humdrum concerns figured prominently in one study that rigorously measured how much time we spend mind wandering in daily life.
From Scientific American • Aug. 22, 2014
Humdrum As the camera glides and loop-de-loops through the 88-year-old Alain Resnais’s surreal romantic comedy “Wild Grass,” primary colors take on a luminescent glow.
From New York Times • Jun. 24, 2010
I ought to have taken something for old Mrs. Humdrum, but I am ashamed to say that I forgot her.
From Erewhon Revisited by Butler, Samuel
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.
