tedious
Americanadjective
-
marked by monotony or tedium; long and tiresome.
tedious tasks; a tedious journey.
- Synonyms:
- dull, monotonous, boring, wearing
-
wordy so as to cause weariness or boredom, as a speaker, a writer, or the work they produce; prolix.
adjective
-
causing fatigue or tedium; monotonous
-
obsolete progressing very slowly
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tedious
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin tēdiōsus, Late Latin taediōsus, from taedi(um) tedium + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
If something is tedious, it's boring. If you're anxious to get outside and enjoy the sun, even the best lecture will seem tedious. Tedious is the adjective from tedium, which is both Latin and English for boredom. You ordinarily wouldn't use tedious for people, just things; you might say "His speeches are tedious," but usually not "He is tedious." Something that is tedious could also be called tiresome. Shakespeare's Friar Laurence says "I will be brief, for my short date of breath / Is not so long as is a tedious tale."
Vocabulary lists containing tedious
List 2
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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The Things They Carried
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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.
For a bucket of gravel it’s tedious, for minerals it’s difficult, and for living organisms it’s surely impossible.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Besides the fact that the notion of “nepo babies” is tedious in itself, it’s hard to imagine Michaels casting anyone as a favor.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
It was tedious, repetitive work on assembly lines, hundreds of women around me.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
The FDA’s road to regulating compounding pharmacies — and by extension the peptides they seek to dispense — has been long and tedious.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026
“Where is everyone?” he asked her as he worked through the tedious process of getting back to his feet.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
