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Synonyms

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
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.

boring 1 British  
/ ˈbɔːrɪŋ /

noun

    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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
boring 2 British  
/ ˈbɔːrɪŋ /

adjective

  1. dull; repetitious; uninteresting

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s doing a lot of really boring research.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Every American is invited. We don’t care if you’re white or Black, rich or poor, young or old, rural or urban, controversial or a little bit boring, or somewhere in between.”

From Los Angeles Times

At one weekend session, “Evolving RL-Based Reasoning Data in LLMs,” a startup founder who specialized in that esoteric area of research asked a reporter why they were at such a boring talk.

From The Wall Street Journal

In contrast to those who say the colour is boring, Robinson sees it as "adaptable" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and living areas where you want a serene, restful atmosphere".

From BBC

Because I fear so much, I end up not being in very exciting or controversial situations, and that could translate as boring.

From Los Angeles Times

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.