as in bore
someone or something boring even die-hard opera fans are finding this production to be a real yawner

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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 yawner If the stakes had not been so high—with election deniers on the ballot and the GOP running as the party of destruction—this would have been seen as a yawner of a midterm. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 28 Nov. 2022 Will Alabama turn the SEC race into a yawner? Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 3 Sep. 2022 The Browns make this one a yawner. Dan Labbe, cleveland, 29 Nov. 2020 Psychologists have claimed that contagious yawning is linked to empathy in humans—those who yawn back are thought to be empathizing with the initial yawner’s feelings of boredom, fatigue or stress. Erica Tennenhouse, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2018 See All Example Sentences for yawner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yawner
Noun
  • The theory went viral on X, as 4chan pointed users to photos of Valadez that bore perceived similarities to surveillance footage of the suspect fleeing the scene released by the FBI amid the manhunt.
    Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Anyone who thinks English Heritage sites are run by bores is in for a surprise.
    Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Plans were met with questions, reservations, rejection, bewilderment, violence, and, more recently, a yawn.
    Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
  • For instance, a yawn in a canine often signals stress, not tiredness, and lip-licking can indicate anxiety.
    Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
Noun
  • The drip and/or crumb tray may require more scrubbing.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The most notable feature of the current crop of players is that there’s been a drip-drip effect, with England producing one outstanding talent each year.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Yawner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yawner. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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