monotonous

[muh-not-n-uhs]

adjective

1. lacking in variety; tediously unvarying.

   the monotonous flat scenery.

   Synonyms: dull, boring, humdrum, tedious

2. characterizing a sound continuing on one note.

3. having very little inflection; limited to a narrow pitch range.

monotonous

/ məˈnɒtənəs /

adjective

1. dull and tedious, esp because of repetition

2. unvarying in pitch or cadence

Other Word Forms

• monotonously adverb
• monotonousness noun
• unmonotonous adjective
• unmonotonously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of monotonous¹

From the Late Greek word monótonos, dating back to 1770–80. See mono-, tone, -ous

Example Sentences

Mills, a sociologist, challenged this belief, describing how white-collar work could be just as monotonous, powerless and stressful as factory work.

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Between shuttling kids to sports and school and commuting for his job at a medical equipment company in southeastern Pennsylvania, “life can get monotonous.”

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Much of Mr. Roberts’s movement for that quartet of dancers, despite some upper-body torsioning and unison pacings, presents repeated articulations for their arms, suggesting the flapping of wings, which grows monotonous.

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I used to feel that time spent devoted to improving your body was fruitless or monotonous.

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At first, ceramics was just an escape from the monotonous copywriting work Stringer dreaded.

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Related Words

• boring 
• dreary 
• dull 
• ho-hum 
• humdrum 
• plodding www.thesaurus.com
• repetitious 
• repetitive 
• tedious 
• tiresome