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weary

[weer-ee]
See more synonyms for weary on Thesaurus.com
adjective, wea·ri·er, wea·ri·est.
  1. physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion, strain, etc.; fatigued; tired: weary eyes; a weary brain.
  2. characterized by or causing fatigue: a weary journey.
  3. impatient or dissatisfied with something (often followed by of): weary of excuses.
  4. characterized by or causing impatience or dissatisfaction; tedious; irksome: a weary wait.
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verb (used with or without object), wea·ried, wea·ry·ing.
  1. to make or become weary; fatigue or tire: The long hours of work have wearied me.
  2. to make or grow impatient or dissatisfied with something or at having too much of something (often followed by of): The long drive had wearied us of desert scenery. We had quickly wearied at such witless entertainment.
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Origin of weary

before 900; (adj.) Middle English wery, Old English wērig; cognate with Old Saxon -wōrig; akin to Old English wōrian to crumble, break down, totter; (v.) Middle English werien, Old English wēr(i)gian, derivative of the adj.
Related formswea·ri·ly, adverbwea·ri·ness, nounwea·ry·ing·ly, adverbout·wea·ry, verb (used with object), out·wea·ried, out·wea·ry·ing.self-wea·ri·ness, nounself-wea·ry, adjectiveun·wea·ry, adjectiveun·wea·ry·ing, adjective
Can be confusedwary weary leery

Synonyms

See more synonyms for weary on Thesaurus.com
1. spent. See tired1. 4. tiresome, wearisome. 5. exhaust. 6. irk; jade.

Antonyms

1. energetic. 4. interesting. 6. interest.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for weariness

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • She returned and sat again at the table, and the mood vanished in weariness.

    Weighed and Wanting

    George MacDonald

  • He was oppressed with his weariness, and he longed for peace and ease of mind to come to him.

    Life in London

    Edwin Hodder

  • Garson answered with a note of weariness that was unlike him.

    Within the Law

    Marvin Dana

  • She was not herself, of course, what with strain and weariness.

    K

    Mary Roberts Rinehart

  • Byron was a symbolic figure, but his relations were to the passion of his age and its weariness of passion.

    De Profundis

    Oscar Wilde

British Dictionary definitions for weariness

weary

adjective -rier or -riest
  1. tired or exhausted
  2. causing fatigue or exhaustion
  3. caused by or suggestive of wearinessa weary laugh
  4. (postpositive; often foll by of or with) discontented or bored, esp by the long continuance of something
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verb -ries, -rying or -ried
  1. to make or become weary
  2. to make or become discontented or impatient, esp by the long continuance of something
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Derived Formswearily, adverbweariness, nounwearying, adjectivewearyingly, adverb

Word Origin

Old English wērig; related to Old Saxon wōrig, Old High German wuorag drunk, Greek hōrakian to faint
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for weariness

weary

v.

Old English wergian (intransitive), gewergian (transitive), from the source of weary (adj.). Related: Wearied; wearying.

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weary

adj.

Old English werig "tired," related to worian "to wander, totter," from West Germanic *worigaz (cf. Old Saxon worig "weary," Old High German wuorag "intoxicated"), of unknown origin.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper