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

Dilbert sprang from the monotony of Adams’ own days on the job. —Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 13 Jan. 2026

Indeed, the diverse lush tones joined forces with the suffocating heat of the jungle to disguise an essential monotony, the primary function of which was to drive crazy anyone who might be inclined to formulate an original thought. —Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026

Late in the night, the comedian Wanda Sykes cut through the monotony and brought some sharpness to the stage. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026

Break up the monotony of winter with this shiny nail set. —Odeya Pinkus, InStyle, 4 Jan. 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