monotony
Americannoun
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wearisome uniformity or lack of variety, as in occupation or scenery.
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the continuance of an unvarying sound; monotone.
-
sameness of tone or pitch, as in speaking.
noun
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wearisome routine; dullness
-
lack of variety in pitch or cadence
Etymology
Origin of monotony
1700–10; < Late Greek monotonía, equivalent to monóton ( os ) monotonous + -ia -y 3
Explanation
Monotony is when you have too much of a boring thing: one tone of voice going on and on, one piece of flat music playing over and over, one infomercial droning on and on. There is no variety in monotony. Monotony goes back to the Greek root monotonos, which comes from mono-, "single," and tonos, "tone." One tone only equals monotony. A day with a lot of repetition, or monotony, is humdrum. When you get too much of the same boring, one-note thing, you experience monotony. Monotony. Monotony.
Vocabulary lists containing monotony
The Things They Carried
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The Alchemist
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The Stranger
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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.
The couple say prison life has returned to its normal monotony after the intense fear they experienced during the Israel-US war with Iran.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
But there’s a limit to how many similar instances, all with the same structure, the film can retrace before it gives way to monotony.
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026
For John Winston Isidro, life aboard his VLCC, or Very Large Crude Carrier, has been marked by equal parts monotony and precaution since his ship began playing the waiting game.
From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026
His classic “The Painter of Modern Life,” advocating for upending art’s sclerotic monotony, appeared in three profoundly influential installments of the Parisian newspaper Le Figaro.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 1, 2025
Sarai had never been so glad of the predictable monotony of life in the citadel as she was now.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
