dreary

1 of 2

adjective

drea·​ry ˈdrir-ē 

drearier; dreariest

1

: feeling, displaying, or reflecting listlessness or discouragement

… cheer a dreary mind …

—George Berkeley

2

: having nothing likely to provide cheer, comfort, or interest : gloomy, dismal

a cold, dreary morning

drearily

ˈdrir-ə-lē 

adverb

dreariness

ˈdrir-ē-nəs 

noun

dreariness

2 of 2

noun

drear·​i·​ness -rēnə̇s 

-rin-

plural -es

1

archaic : sadness

2

a

: the quality or state of being dull and uninteresting : monotony, gloominess

the occasional dreariness of being dutiful

—Claudia Cassidy

b

: something that is dull, monotonous, and uninteresting

the concert was one of those fragmentary drearinesses that people endure because they are fashionable

—Mark Twain

Synonyms of dreary

Adjective

• bleak
• dark
• lonely
• somber
• depressing
• depressive
• desolate
• solemn
• darkening
• murky
• cold
• gray
• lonesome
• miserable
• morbid

Choose the Right Synonym for dreary

dismal, dreary, bleak, gloomy, cheerless, desolate mean devoid of cheer or comfort.

dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

Examples of dreary in a Sentence

Adjective

It was a gray, dreary morning.

The family struggled through dreary economic times.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Ormund is introduced in the third-season premiere issuing orders at his army’s encampment and then, with a put-upon air, closely sniffing his pomander as if offended by the whole dreary business. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026

Unscary, plodding, dreary with a cast of characters that isn’t dwindling in terms of body count, but certainly in terms of my enjoyment and respect. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026

In the new Prime Video series, Lexi Minetree plays the iconic character, who must adapt to a new high school as her family swaps Bel-Air for dreary Seattle. — Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 24 June 2026

In recent days, young Knicks fans have been made to digest from their dreary Boomer elders heavy doses of old-timey hoops lore, but mainly about the 1970 title series, featuring Willis Reed’s limping, yet noble appearance in Game Seven, his injured leg shot up with painkillers. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 14 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English drery, from Old English drēorig sad, bloody, from drēor gore; akin to Old High German trūrēn to be sad, Goth driusan to fall

Noun

Middle English drerinesse, from Old English drēorignys, from drēorig sad, bloody + -nys, -nes -ness

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dreary

• beery
• bleary
• cheery
• cirri
• dearie
• deary
• eerie
• kiri
• leary
• leery
• peery
• query

Kids Definition

dreary

adjective

drea·​ry ˈdri(ə)r-ē 

drearier

ˈdrir-ē-ər

; dreariest

: having nothing that provides cheer, comfort, or interest

drearily

ˈdrir-ə-lē 

adverb

dreariness

ˈdrir-ē-nəs 

noun