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

The region had a reputation as mostly a dreary post-industrial wasteland peppered with factories that had started being abandoned after the Flood of 1955. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026

With enthusiasm and human creativity, the future of film does not look too dreary to these panelists. — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

In Groff’s imagining, the real figure of Marie de France is a gangly teenager exiled by her lover, Eleanor of Aquitaine, to oversee a dreary English abbey sometime during the 12th century. — David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026

In a dreary and breezy Thursday evening, the Royals dropped their season finale to the Minnesota Twins. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 7 Aug. 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