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 of monotony

• 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

But that monotony is the status quo in Chicago. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026

Rattling off names is an awards show staple, and while some may complain of its rote monotony, the Oscars wouldn’t be the same without all that gratitude. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Mar. 2026

More than the monotony, local revenue leaving the community was once the serious rationale for opposing chain stores. —Henry Grabar, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026

His practice can be intentionally repetitive, reflecting the monotony of cancer treatment, and inspires viewers to meditate with the movement. —Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026

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