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

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

• boringly adverb
• boringness noun

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

Example Sentences

Your Global View columnist is only confident that, whatever is coming next, it won’t be boring.

From The Wall Street Journal

But this one definitely feels special for me, and it feels like I use the word “suitable,” which feels so boring.

From Los Angeles Times

It is an idea rooted in the thinking that if our reality really is a simulation, we would get shut down if we were boring.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s intended to be friendly, of course, and navigate through a world built for humans and eliminate dangerous repetitive and boring tasks,” he said at the time.

From The Wall Street Journal

Their fans used to sing 'glory glory Man United' but now they are more likely to sing 'boring boring Man United', when I expected a bit more from them this season.

From BBC

Related Words

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