monotonous

adjective

mə-ˈnä-tə-nəs How to pronounce monotonous (audio)
Definition of monotonousnext
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest the lecturer's monotonous delivery threatened to put us to sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of monotonous Some claimed that Buddhists, like Asians generally, were passive and lazy, and that their religious rites reflected a dull, monotonous approach to life. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 July 2026 Rather than replacing existing automation, humanoid robots are intended to complement it by handling monotonous, ergonomically challenging, or safety-critical tasks while allowing employees to focus on higher-value work. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 June 2026 Her trick for making a scheme feel consistent but not monotonous? — Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 5 June 2026 In practice, the system of mass production pioneered by Henry Ford made work more fragmented, monotonous, and physically and psychologically demanding. — Christopher Marquis, Time, 30 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for monotonous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monotonous
  1. boring
  2. tiring
  3. slow
  4. dull
  5. stupid
  6. weary
  7. dusty
  8. old
Adjective
  • Indeed, Hank hurts lots of people in this action-comedy that doesn’t prove boring for a second but has trouble managing its disparate tones.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Ma brings a happy zeal — and an artist’s eye for detail — to creating a sense of wonder, fantasy and futuristic freedom in a world limited by boring, rational constraints.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of boring
Adjective
  • Food & Drink You’ll find just two dining venues on the property, The Dining Room (which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and the poolside Palapa Bar, but there’s no chance of tiring of the fare.
    — Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Permanent Marker Removal Trying to scrub permanent marker away is tiring, time-consuming, and often futile without some type of product to loosen the marker.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of tiring
Adjective
  • Reseeding helps block weed growth, repel lawn diseases, slow soil erosion, and strengthen growth in bare patches.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Critical thinking is based on the need for a deliberate, slow, self-regulatory pause.
    — Ted Ladd, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of slow
Adjective
  • In recent studies by AccuWeather experts, excessive rainfall can contribute to insect and fungus damage in parts of Pennsylvania, which may lead to duller colors and earlier leaf drop.
    — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The city is flooded with dull and uninteresting structures clad in the material.
    — Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of dull
Adjective
  • Far too much coverage of declining trust in science — particularly the anti-vaccine movement — is predicated on the assumption that its adherents are either stupid or crazy.
    — Rick Berke, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The Dodge Durango Hellcat is the most accessible way to go stupid-fast in a three-row family car thanks to the Escalade V‘s high price tag.
    — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of stupid
Adjective
  • And Trump’s priority is to lower costs for inflation-weary consumers ahead of the midterms, just suspending tariffs on imports of up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to bring cheaper foreign meat into the market.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • As competition intensifies, Walmart and Kroger are lowering prices across the board to appeal to inflation-weary, cost-conscious consumers.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of weary
Adjective
  • One Baguette is covered in a kaleidoscopic geometric pattern of colorful beads; another resembles a tiny textile artwork in dusty pink, green, and turquoise.
    — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
  • One rises, then another, then seemingly all of them—great striped bulbs of crimson, lemon yellow, and turquoise drifting between the fairy chimneys as the first sunlight catches the dusty pink folds of the landscape.
    — Scott Campbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of dusty
Adjective
  • The Dune star has five older half siblings from her father’s previous relationship.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Newcastle had depleted full-back resources and Jaissle was convinced the 24-year-old’s athleticism was ideal.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of old

Browse Nearby Words

monotone
monotonous
monotonousness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Monotonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monotonous. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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