weary

[weer-ee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR weary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, wea·ri·er, wea·ri·est.

physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion, strain, etc.; fatigued; tired: weary eyes; a weary brain.

characterized by or causing fatigue: a weary journey.

impatient or dissatisfied with something (often followed by of): weary of excuses.

characterized by or causing impatience or dissatisfaction; tedious; irksome: a weary wait.

verb (used with or without object), wea·ried, wea·ry·ing.

to make or become weary; fatigue or tire: The long hours of work have wearied me.

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.

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 for weary

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR weary ON THESAURUS.COM

1. spent. See tired¹. 4. tiresome, wearisome. 5. exhaust. 6. irk; jade.

Antonyms for weary

1. energetic. 4. interesting. 6. interest.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for weariness

tiredness, ennui, fatigue, boredom, listlessness, lassitude, exhaustion, tedium, languor, lethargy, monotony, languishment

Examples from the Web for weariness

Contemporary Examples of weariness

And you can sense the weariness in Royko when he says he would like to walk away from it all and try to write a comic novel.
The Stacks: John Schulian’s Classic Profile of Newspaper Columnist Mike Royko
John Schulian
January 5, 2014
Many of our leaders and pundits complain about the weariness and wariness of war, but the nature of conflict has changed.
The Essential Spy Guide
Henry A. Crumpton
May 2, 2013
I have to admit, and in the face of all my weariness and skepticism, I like the idea.
Life In Common
Yehudah Mirsky
July 2, 2012
The style is elegant and understated, the aura of weariness and mortality extremely powerful.
Scorsese's Favorite Gangster Movies
Martin Scorsese
September 8, 2010

Historical Examples of weariness

He was oppressed with his weariness, and he longed for peace and ease of mind to come to him.
Life in London
Edwin Hodder
She returned and sat again at the table, and the mood vanished in weariness.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
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

tired or exhausted

causing fatigue or exhaustion

caused by or suggestive of wearinessa weary laugh

(postpositive; often foll by of or with) discontented or bored, esp by the long continuance of something

verb -ries, -rying or -ried

to make or become weary

to make or become discontented or impatient, esp by the long continuance of something

Derived Formswearily, adverbweariness, nounwearying, adjectivewearyingly, adverb

Word Origin for weary

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

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

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.