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

More than just accountability, the fine system has injected a level of fun into what could become monotony of the NFL grind. —Miami Herald, 4 Dec. 2025

Staff members from both teams ran onto the court to break up the monotony. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 Nov. 2025

The report explores how years of monotony and a lack of innovation is resulting in a movement of new beauty ideals that aim to shake up the market. —Emily Burns, Footwear News, 13 Nov. 2025

There’s a repetitive monotony to the structure. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Nov. 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