monotonous

1 of 2

adjective

mo·​not·​o·​nous mə-ˈnä-tə-nəs 

-ˈnät-nəs

1

: uttered or sounded in one unvarying tone : marked by a sameness of pitch and intensity

a monotonous voice

2

: tediously uniform or unvarying

a monotonous job

monotonously adverb

monotonousness noun

monotonousness

2 of 2

noun

mo·​not·​o·​nous·​ness

plural -es

: the quality or state of being monotonous

there is a profound monotonousness about its facts

—Mark Twain

Synonyms of monotonous

Adjective

• boring
• tiring
• slow
• dull
• wearying
• stupid
• weary
• dusty
• old

Examples of monotonous in a Sentence

Adjective

Altogether, millions of mostly obscure entries in the public record offer details of a forced labor system of monotonous enormity. —Douglas A. Blackmon, Slavery By Another Name, 2008

At times, the grayness of the place was consumed by its own monotonous noise, of bars clanging, of inmates being led through the corridors, of guards yelling out orders … —Benjamin Weiser, New York Times Magazine, 6 Aug. 2000

The monotonous chant of the indoctrinated, ideologically armored from head to foot … —Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997

The crickets stridulated their everlasting monotonous meaningful note. —John Updike, The Witches of Eastwick, 1984

the lecturer's monotonous delivery threatened to put us to sleep

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Her trick for making a scheme feel consistent but not monotonous? —Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 5 June 2026

But if couples stop introducing freshness into that stability, comfort will feel monotonous. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 31 May 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

Anything less is just monotonous. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 22 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

monotone entry 1 + -ous

Note: Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, takes the word as a direct borrowing from Greek monótonos, with the addition of the suffix -ous.

First Known Use

Adjective

1774, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

monotonous

adjective

mo·​not·​o·​nous mə-ˈnät-ᵊn-əs 

-ˈnät-nəs

1

: uttered or sounded in one unchanging tone

2

: boring from being always the same

a monotonous task

monotonously adverb

monotonousness noun