tedium

noun

te·​di·​um ˈtē-dē-əm 

1

: the quality or state of being tedious : tediousness

also : boredom

2

: a tedious period of time

Synonyms of tedium

• boredom

Examples of tedium in a Sentence

The movie was three hours of tedium.

I took a day off to relieve the tedium of work.

Recent Examples on the Web

The tedium of the task was how the apprentice became the master. — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

The late John Sterling, in his inimitable style, remarks on the tedium of watching Pedro Baez verrrryyy slowwwlyyy do his job. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 17 July 2026

Sea Rangers offer a Swiss Army knife’s dexterity, pursuing government contracts across the European Union and United Kingdom to tackle the tedium of climate compliance and the drudgery of clearing those backlogs. — Richard Morgan, Time, 29 June 2026

The art of roster architecture has been replaced by the tedium of money management in many cases. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 7 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin taedium disgust, irksomeness, from taedēre to disgust, weary

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tedium

• cypripedium
• intermedium
• medium

Kids Definition

tedium

noun

te·​di·​um ˈtēd-ē-əm 

: the quality or state of being tedious : boredom