bored

American  

[bawrd] / bɔrd /

adjective

1. wearied by dullness or sameness (often followed by with, of, orby ).

   This activity will keep bored children entertained on those long summer days.

   She's bored with the color of her room and has decided to paint it.

   I never seem to get bored of this game.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of bore.

Etymology

Origin of bored

First recorded in 1820–30; bore ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective; bore ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb

Explanation

When you are bored, nothing is engaging you. If you're on a long flight, you forgot your book, and there's no movie, you might become bored. The adjective bored comes from boredom, the state of being where nothing is interesting or exciting. If you only understand English, you'll probably get bored quickly listening to German talk radio. It's hard not to be bored by a six hour bus ride on a featureless interstate highway. If you are deeply, spiritually bored by the world, you are suffering from ennui — that's boredom in French!

Example Sentences

At a time when the most exciting films were 10 seconds of a train, bored teenagers probably would go berserk at the chance to loiter near an obelisk.

From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026

Matt said he wrote his first poem while sat bored in A&E with a family member in 2019.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

Lestat is slightly bored with existing yet curious to see whether his music, primarily plied on the Internet, can reach enough undead followers to hasten the vampire apocalypse known as The Great Conversion.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026

When he got bored of the personal minibar at his suite, he and his fellow first-class passengers could walk a few feet to the onboard bar.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

Two thumps of Rufus’s tail and a bored yawn from Lulu, though, didn’t quiet that feeling down at all.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

Related Words

• disinterested
• fatigued
• tired