boring

¹ American  

[bawr-ing] / ˈbɔr ɪŋ /

adjective

1. causing or marked by boredom; dull and uninteresting; tiresome: to have a boring time.

   a boring discussion;

   to have a boring time.

   Synonyms:

   tedious, tiresome, dull

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boring ² American  

[bawr-ing, bohr-] / ˈbɔr ɪŋ, ˈboʊr- /

noun

borings plural

1. Machinery.

   1. the act or process of making or enlarging a hole.

   2. the hole so made.

2. Geology. a cylindrical sample of earth strata obtained by boring a vertical hole.

3. borings, the chips, fragments, or dust produced in boring.

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boring ¹ British  

/ ˈbɔːrɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the act or process of making or enlarging a hole

   2. the hole made in this way

2. (often plural) a fragment, particle, chip, etc, produced during boring

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boring ² British  

/ ˈbɔːrɪŋ /

adjective

1. dull; repetitious; uninteresting

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• boringness
  noun
• boringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• borings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of boring¹

First recorded in 1835–45; bore ¹ + -ing ²

Origin of boring²

First recorded in 1400–50; bore ² + -ing ¹

Explanation

As an adjective boring describes something (or someone) that is tedious, dull, and lacking in interest. As a noun, boring refers to the act of drilling a hole, or the hole itself. When a geologist's powerful drill makes a boring into the earth, you can remove a sample and learn about the history of our planet just by seeing what's contained in the boring's layers. Of course, if you aren't interested in that kind of thing, you might find a two-hour lecture on the subject a bit boring.

Example Sentences

"It's slow and steady. Predictable. Kind of boring -- but in a good way."

From Science Daily • Jul. 9, 2026

Critics said expanding the World Cup roster to 48 countries would make the matches uncompetitive and boring.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 27, 2026

"How bleak and boring of the internet, I love a good manicure and so does Enola."

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026

Is my midlife crisis car really a Corolla, the best selling and most boring model of all time?

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026

Sorry I thought your farm was boring before.

From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones

Related Words

• dull
• humdrum
• lifeless
• monotonous
• mundane
• stale
• stodgy
• stuffy
• stupid
• tame
• tedious
• tiresome
• tiring
• trite
• uninteresting