drab

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈdrab 

1

: slattern

2

: prostitute

drab

2 of 5

verb

drabbed; drabbing

intransitive verb

: to associate with prostitutes

a waster, an idler; drinking and drabbing

—Aldous Huxley

drab

3 of 5

noun (2)

1

textiles : any of various cloths of a dull brown or gray color

dressed in drabs

2

a

: a light olive brown

b

: a dull, lifeless, or faded appearance or quality

drab

4 of 5

adjective

drabber; drabbest

1

a

: of the dull brown color of drab (see drab entry 3 sense 1)

b

: of a light olive brown color : of the color drab (see drab entry 3 sense 2a)

2

: characterized by dullness and monotony : cheerless

a drab life

drab industrial buildings

drably adverb

drabness noun

drab

5 of 5

noun (3)

: a small amount

—usually used in the phrase dribs and drabs

receiving donations in dribs and drabs

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• bawd
• call girl
• cocotte
• courtesan
• hooker
• hustler
• prostitute
• sex worker
• streetwalker
• tart
• whore

Adjective

• arid
• boring
• colorless
• dreary
• drudging
• dry
• dull
• dusty
• flat
• heavy
• ho-hum
• humdrum
• jading
• jejune
• leaden
• mind-numbing
• monochromatic
• monotonous
• numbing
• old
• pedestrian
• ponderous
• slow
• stale
• stodgy
• stuffy
• stupid
• tame
• tedious
• tiresome
• tiring
• uninteresting
• wearisome
• weary
• wearying

Examples of drab in a Sentence

Adjective

He lives a drab life.

the new city hall promises to be another drab pile of masonry for the town

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

YouTube celebrities have traveled here to document whether Ottawa is as drab as advertised. —Paul Vieira, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2023

Instead, Tammi and production designer Marc Fisichella show the place to be rather drab, dark and devoid of color. —Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 26 Oct. 2023

Slap this color explosion up and watch the place go from drab to fab. —Cristian Esteban, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2023

On a drab block of downtown D.C. — gray street flanked by gray sidewalks, shaded by hulking gray office buildings — there is a pane of reflective glass emblazoned with the sunshine-yellow image of a wiener dog in profile. —Zoe Glasser, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2023

On a drizzly, drab afternoon in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the Toreros turned the ball over six times, including a 97-yard interception return for a touchdown, and lost to Marist 30-16 at Tenney Stadium. —Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2023

Transforming drab 40-year-old office towers to open, human-friendly environs would be a lot easier with tax relief and regulatory assistance. —Jim Small, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2023

Price at time of publish: $50 House Plant Shop Snake Laurentii Live Plant View On Macy's A houseplant that adds warmth and liveliness to an otherwise drab space. —Kaitlyn McInnis, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Sep. 2023

The males have a brilliant green mask and cream cap, while females are more drab looking. —Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

origin unknown

Verb

noun derivative of drab entry 1

Noun (2) and Adjective

Middle French drap cloth, from Late Latin drappus

Noun (3)

probably alteration of drib

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1515, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1599, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (3)

1809, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing drab

• olive drab

• olive drab

Kids Definition

drab

1 of 2 noun

ˈdrab 

: a light olive brown

drab

2 of 2 adjective

drabber; drabbest

1

: of the color drab

2

: lacking variety and interest : dull

a drab life

drably adverb

drabness noun