monotonous

American  

[muh-not-n-uhs] / məˈnɒt n əs /

adjective

1. lacking in variety; tediously unvarying.

   the monotonous flat scenery.

   Synonyms:

   dull, boring, humdrum, tedious

2. characterizing a sound continuing on one note.

3. having very little inflection; limited to a narrow pitch range.

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monotonous British  

/ məˈnɒtənəs /

adjective

1. dull and tedious, esp because of repetition

2. unvarying in pitch or cadence

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Other Word Forms

• monotonously adverb
• monotonousness noun
• unmonotonous adjective
• unmonotonously adverb

Etymology

Origin of monotonous

From the Late Greek word monótonos, dating back to 1770–80. See mono-, tone, -ous

Example Sentences

While the bot proved capable at monotonous tasks like sorting objects, the former engineers said they thought most factory jobs are better off being done by robots with shapes designed for the specific task.

From The Wall Street Journal

Set in a dour factory, “Metropolis” is “the grandfather of all ‘beat the worker down with monotonous, repetitive labor, totally unrecognized by management’ movies,” says Mankiewicz of TCM.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mills, a sociologist, challenged this belief, describing how white-collar work could be just as monotonous, powerless and stressful as factory work.

From The Wall Street Journal

Between shuttling kids to sports and school and commuting for his job at a medical equipment company in southeastern Pennsylvania, “life can get monotonous.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Much of Mr. Roberts’s movement for that quartet of dancers, despite some upper-body torsioning and unison pacings, presents repeated articulations for their arms, suggesting the flapping of wings, which grows monotonous.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• boring
• dreary
• dull
• ho-hum
• humdrum
• plodding
• repetitious
• repetitive
• tedious
• tiresome