ho-hum
[hoh-huhm, -huhm]
- (an exclamation expressing boredom, weariness, or contempt.)
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- dull, boring, or routine; so-so: a ho-hum performance.
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Origin of ho-hum
First recorded in 1920–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
innocuous, vapid, trite, bland, banal, ho-hum, flat, uninspired, boring, muted, tepid, delicate, peaceful, sunny, balmy, breezy, benign, warm, weak, calmExamples from the Web for ho-hum
Contemporary Examples
There was Carol White, a ho-hum homemaker who finds herself besieged by multiple chemical sensitivity in Safe.
Lily Allen explained away the poor sales and ho-hum critical reception to Sheezus by…basically blaming other people.
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and MoreKevin Fallon
December 19, 2014
The summer of music may have started with a ho-hum and largely stayed there.
The ho-hum ‘Super Fun Night,’ however, turns out to be a nightmare, says Kevin Fallon.
If it is, Obama will win, even if the economy is ho-hum, and the political scientists will have four years to figure out why.
Historical Examples
Brand name of one of those mild little red Baby Goudas that make you say "Ho-hum."
The Complete Book of CheeseRobert Carlton Brown
ho-hum
- informal lacking interest or inspiration; dull; mediocrea ho-hum album
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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
Word Origin and History for ho-hum
expression of boredom, by 1906. As an adjective, by 1956.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper