humdrum
Americanadjective
noun
-
humdrum character or routine; monotony.
-
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
Explanation
Something humdrum is dull, tedious, and totally boring. If a regular old photography class sounds too humdrum, you might instead sign up for Underwater Photography of Marine Predators. Don't forget your wetsuit! Anything that you can call humdrum is so severely lacking in variety and excitement that it's sure to make you hum and drum your fingers out of boredom. Humdrum is an adjective to describe the unglamorous monotony of everyday routines. It's the same old thing, again and again, over and over. Humdrum can also mean predictable, mind-numbing and not very challenging — hopefully the complete opposite of your social life.
Vocabulary lists containing humdrum
30 GRE Words Beginning with "G" and "H"
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This Is Not a Drill: Synonyms for "Boring"
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The Chocolate War
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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.
As locals grapple with the idea of U.S. domination, they are also dealing with more humdrum problems.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
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
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s arrival as a former five-star high school prospect who helped Tennessee reach the CFP in 2024 generated some much-needed buzz for a humdrum operation.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2025
The mentions are fairly humdrum in themselves - but worth noting because every time Goldie was mentioned, MPs would cheer, whoop and whistle, in that special way that is peculiar to MPs in the Commons.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2025
But did they consider walnuts a delicacy or a humdrum staple?
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
