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
- overtedious adjective
- overtediously adverb
- overtediousness noun
- tediously adverb
- tediousness noun
- untedious adjective
- untediously adverb
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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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.
It took roughly two weeks of tedious work, sifting through hours of grainy recordings.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
This is a bit tedious, and you’d be right to ask why this is needed.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
His splendid book is devoted to a topic—the health benefits derived from exposure to high temperatures—that could be tedious in the wrong hands.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026
Among the many tedious features of market panics is the well-known cognitive error of catastrophizing.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026
His travel involves something called systems checks, which sounds kind of tedious to me.
From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin
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.
