monotony

noun

mo·​not·​o·​ny mə-ˈnä-tə-nē How to pronounce monotony (audio)
-ˈnät-nē
1
: tedious sameness
the monotony of the landscape
the monotony of prison life
fixing a variety of foods to avoid monotonySHAPE
2
: sameness of tone or sound
the soft monotony of her voice

Examples of monotony in a Sentence

She hated the monotony of the job. The brief storm was a relief from the monotony of the hot summer afternoon.
Recent Examples on the Web And by challenging your muscles in new, creative ways, cross-training not only breaks the monotony but also stimulates growth and development. Dana Santas, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 Just new experiences, breaking up the monotony of the everyday is so important. Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 Castle Hot Springs – Morristown, Arizona Tucked into the red rock Bradshaw Mountains, Castle Hot Springs provides a true escape from the monotony of daily life. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2024 Still, the fun tradition to break up the monotony of the bitter cold months has endured for well over a century, regardless of how often Phil is right. USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2024 The sequence-building has a monotony to it, as does the percussive, insta-Penderecki score by Adam Janota Bzowski. Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2024 The visual monotony of awards shows is a chronic problem (no matter how stunning the stage design or the dresses). Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024 The book narrates her efforts to organize the monotony of lockdown, especially for her small children. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2024 Need something to jumpstart the mornings and end the monotony of overnight oats, bran cereal or random fruit? Meredith Woerner, Variety, 24 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monotony.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see monotonous

First Known Use

1636, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of monotony was in 1636

Dictionary Entries Near monotony

Cite this Entry

“Monotony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monotony. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

monotony

noun
mo·​not·​o·​ny mə-ˈnät-ᵊn-ē How to pronounce monotony (audio)
-ˈnät-nē
plural monotonies
1
: sameness of tone or sound
2
: lack of variety
especially : a lack of change that causes boredom

More from Merriam-Webster on monotony

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