humdrum
Americanadjective
noun
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humdrum character or routine; monotony.
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monotonous or tedious talk.
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Archaic. a dull, boring person.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- humdrumness noun
Etymology
Origin of humdrum
1545–55; earlier humtrum, rhyming compound based on hum
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.
The proposed plant is slated to cost roughly $275 million, create 400 jobs and produce humdrum yet important equipment: grid-battery systems and devices called inverters that connect solar farms to the power network.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
And, given his humdrum season with Columbus Crew, how did Nancy get this job in the first place?
From BBC • Dec. 17, 2025
The market had been pretty humdrum for all of November, making the decline at the kickoff of December notable.
From Barron's • Dec. 8, 2025
Composer Edo Van Breemen’s shivering score and cinematographer Jeremy Cox’s icy compositions give even the most humdrum of moments — like Malcolm offering Liz the cake — a whiff of the sinister.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025
Jake also wondered if boredom with everyday, humdrum things might be a curse that came with superintelligence.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
