boredom

American  

[bawr-duhm] / ˈbɔr dəm /

noun

1. the state of being bored; the feeling of being wearied by dullness, tedious repetition, etc.

   Synonyms:

   ennui, tedium, weariness, doldrums, dullness

   Antonyms:

   amusement, diversion, excitement

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boredom British  

/ ˈbɔːdəm /

noun

1. the state of being bored; tedium

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Etymology

Origin of boredom

First recorded in 1850–55; bore ¹ + -dom

Explanation

Boredom can make you do crazy things, like watching terrible old game shows on television or eating the bag of chocolate chips you find in the freezer. The feeling of being bored or uninterested in what you're doing is boredom. Everyone experiences boredom sometimes. The feeling that nothing catches your interest, that everything's dull and flat, sums up the state of boredom. Too much time on your hands can result in boredom, and so can the tediousness of doing the same thing over and over again, like a dreary task at a job. The word boredom comes from something called a "boring tool", a kind of drill that works slowly and repetitively; around 1768, bore, meaning "be tiresome," became a popular slang term, and boredom followed.

Example Sentences

Allowing yourself to be bored for a few hours is actually quite good for us, argues Sandi Mann, academic and author of The Science of Boredom.

From BBC • Aug. 10, 2024

Boredom serves an important purpose -- it signals the need to stop an action and find an alternative project.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2024

Boredom sparked a rediscovery of that love as an adult, this time during the unending monotony of pandemic-era lockdowns.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2023

Boredom sometimes calcifies into loneliness, and for Daisy, the birds seemed to fix a problem I didn’t even know she had.

From New York Times • Dec. 7, 2021

Boredom and routine had taken over, the enemies of discipline.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• apathy
• disgust
• ennui
• fatigue
• indifference
• lethargy
• monotony
• tedium