adjective
-
dull and tedious, esp because of repetition
-
unvarying in pitch or cadence
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Slowly the camera pulls back to reveal an interior window, and then the back of a man’s head in silhouette, as our protagonist watches the monotonous procession.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026
I used to feel that time spent devoted to improving your body was fruitless or monotonous.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 11, 2025
That’s enough to cycle in three or four dinners over the course of a quarter — plenty to be useful, but not so much that it becomes monotonous.
From Salon • Sep. 9, 2025
To outsiders, and even to his family back home, Pan's life might seem unbearably monotonous.
From BBC • Aug. 5, 2025
Homer climbed in the wagon whistling one of Jasper’s more monotonous ditties.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
