weary

American  

[weer-ee] / ˈwɪər i /

adjective

wearier, weariest

1. physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion, strain, etc.; fatigued; tired.

   weary eyes;

   a weary brain.

   Synonyms:

   worn-out, spent

   Antonyms:

   energetic

2. characterized by or causing fatigue.

   a weary journey.

3. impatient or dissatisfied with something (often followed byof ).

   weary of excuses.

4. characterized by or causing impatience or dissatisfaction; tedious; irksome.

   a weary wait.

   Synonyms:

   wearisome, tiresome

   Antonyms:

   interesting

---

verb (used with or without object)

wearies, present (3rd person singular) wearied, past participle, past wearying present participle

1. to make or become weary; fatigue or tire.

   The long hours of work have wearied me.

   Synonyms:

   exhaust

2. to make or grow impatient or dissatisfied with something or at having too much of something (often followed byof ).

   The long drive had wearied us of desert scenery.

   We had quickly wearied at such witless entertainment.

   Synonyms:

   jade, irk

   Antonyms:

   interest

weary British  

/ ˈwɪərɪ /

adjective

1. tired or exhausted

2. causing fatigue or exhaustion

3. caused by or suggestive of weariness

   a weary laugh

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

---

verb

1. to make or become weary

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

Synonym Usage

See tired ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• weariness
  noun
• self-weary
  adjective
• unweary
  adjective
• unwearying
  adjective
• wearying
  adjective
• wearily
  adverb
• wearyingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• wearying
  present
• wearied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• weary
  simple
• wearies
  simple
• have wearied
  perfect
• has wearied
  perfect
• are wearying
  progressive
• am wearying
  progressive
• is wearying
  progressive
• have been wearying
  perfect progressive
• has been wearying
  perfect progressive

Past

• wearied
  simple
• had wearied
  perfect
• was wearying
  progressive
• were wearying
  progressive
• had been wearying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will weary
  simple
• will have wearied
  perfect
• will be wearying
  progressive
• will have been wearying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of weary

First recorded before 900; (adjective) Middle English wery, Old English wērig; cognate with Old Saxon -wōrig; akin to Old English wōrian “to crumble, break down, totter”; (verb) Middle English werien, Old English wēr(i)gian, derivative of the adjective

Explanation

Weary as an adjective means "very tired or worn out," like weary students who finished a long week of studying and taking tests. Weary comes from the Old English word werig, meaning "tired." It can also describe being extremely bored and sick of something, like on a long drive, you might grow weary of your father's singing voice. As a verb, weary means "to exhaust or wear out," like when the children you are babysitting weary you with their game of running away every time you tell them to get ready to leave the park.

Example Sentences

Weary families are tightening their own household budgets to ensure their loved ones on the island don’t starve.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

Weary of heat affecting horses in Santa Anita, they took care to schedule equestrian events for either early morning or evening sessions.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 12, 2025

Weary after several days of walking, many had travelled with their entire families.

From Barron's • Nov. 10, 2025

Weary, broken women watched silently from their tents as rain and wind chilled their bare feet.

From Slate • Jan. 28, 2024

Weary and weak, he felt pain from the infected wound and the doctors' treatment of it.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

• annoy
• bore
• depress
• dishearten
• exasperate
• exhaust
• fade
• irk
• tire