dreary

[dreer-ee]

adjective

drearier, dreariest 

1. causing sadness or gloom.

   Synonyms: comfortless, depressing, cheerless, drear, dismal, gloomy
   Antonyms: cheerful

2. dull; boring.

   Synonyms: tiresome, wearisome, monotonous, tedious
   Antonyms: interesting

3. sorrowful; sad.

dreary

/ ˈdrɪərɪ /

adjective

1. sad or dull; dismal

2. wearying; boring

3. archaic,  miserable

Other Word Forms

• drearily adverb
• dreariness noun
• drearisome adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dreary¹

before 900; Middle English drery, Old English drēorig gory, cruel, sad, equivalent to drēor gore + -ig -y ¹; akin to Old Norse dreyrigr bloody, German traurig sad

Word History and Origins

Origin of dreary¹

Old English drēorig gory; related to Old High German trūreg sad

Example Sentences

The dreary weekend is expected to be followed by a gray week that will push this month’s rainfall total well past the 1985 benchmark.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

After another dreary first 45 minutes, the hosts came to life early in the second period.

Read more on Barron's

The flooded grocery store was a dreary, dismal place.

Read more on Literature

I didn’t choose it for the dreary room with a view of the building next door, but for its lovely garden-cloistered pool, direct beach access and free amenities.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A resident here for 16 years, she runs a travel website called “Nagoya is not boring,” dedicated to overturning the dreary image of the city she loves and bringing in more tourists.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bleak 
• boring 
• colorless 
• damp 
• depressing 
• dingy 
• dismal 
• drab 
• dull 
• forlorn 
• humdrum 
• lonely 
• monotonous 
• sad 
• somber 
• tedious 
• uneventful 
• uninteresting 
• windy 
• wintry