adjective
-
dull and tedious, esp because of repetition
-
unvarying in pitch or cadence
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of monotonous
From the Late Greek word monótonos, dating back to 1770–80. See mono-, tone, -ous
Explanation
When something goes on and on and on and on and on, the same way, for a long time, that's monotonous. Monotonous things are boring and repetitive, like that long story you've heard your brother tell a hundred times before. Ever hear a song that just sounds like the same thing over and over? Ever hear a dog that keeps barking all day? Or a voice that's dull and unchanging in tone? All those things are monotonous: they don't change much, and they're dull as dishwater. Anything tedious or humdrum is probably monotonous. If someone says you're being monotonous, try to vary your tone of voice or the things you're talking about.
Vocabulary lists containing monotonous
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Of Mice and Men
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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.
In contrast, the bees' uncertainty increases in visually monotonous environments.
From Science Daily • Jun. 14, 2026
Another viral videogame, “The Exit 8,” in which the player is trapped in a monotonous Japanese subway station, was recently adapted into a feature film released by Neon this year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
At first, ceramics was just an escape from the monotonous copywriting work Stringer dreaded.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2025
It can get a little bit monotonous and a little bit tedious.
From BBC • Sep. 9, 2025
He remained convinced that romantic behavior was basically monotonous and predictable, and that therefore one could write a fairly straightforward formula that would predict the collision course of any two people.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
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.
