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.

---

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

See Examples For:

bored

Paris St-Germain manager Luis Enrique confessed he is "bored of the Ballon d’Or" - although with a record 10 PSG players on the shortlist, perhaps he wishes to keep out of the debate.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Give it a listen; it sounds like it was written by committee and by four bored teens in equal measure.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

They are from drill holes bored hundreds of metres below the surface by mineral exploration companies decades ago.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

My gaze drifted to the bartenders, who seemed bored, waiting for the evening rush.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

“And I hated each one! I have never been so bored in my life.”

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• disinterested
• fatigued
• tired

---