monotony

noun

mo·​not·​o·​ny mə-ˈnä-tə-nē 

-ˈnät-nē

1

: tedious sameness

the monotony of the landscape

the monotony of prison life

fixing a variety of foods to avoid monotony

—SHAPE

2

: sameness of tone or sound

the soft monotony of her voice

Synonyms

• boredom
• humdrum
• monotone

Examples of monotony in a Sentence

She hated the monotony of the job.

The brief storm was a relief from the monotony of the hot summer afternoon.

Recent Examples on the Web

Alex Bregman’s home run off the Pesky Pole, and Trevor Story reaching on an error by Fried briefly broke up the monotony in the fifth. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025

Determined to make a difference and shake up the monotony of his duties in the City of Angels, Gabriel meddles in the life of Arj (Ansari), a struggling gig worker making ends meet by taking on various gig economy jobs and stocking Home Depot shelves, all while living in his car. —Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025

Mix Cabinet Types Break up the monotony of just uppers and lowers—and achieve a more elevated, designer look—by mixing cabinet types. —Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2025

Building a community of moms who also nurse can break up the monotony of your daily routine, give you a chance to have adult conversations, and provide a source of moral support. —Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 27 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin monotonia "sameness of tone," borrowed from Greek monotonía (attested only in the work of quintillian), from monótonos "lacking variation in pitch, monotone entry 2" + -ia -y entry 2

First Known Use

1636, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for monotony

• botany
• cottony
• ethnobotany
• paleobotany

Kids Definition

monotony

noun

mo·​not·​o·​ny mə-ˈnät-ᵊn-ē 

-ˈnät-nē

plural monotonies

1

: sameness of tone or sound

2

: lack of variety

especially : a lack of change that causes boredom