monotony

noun

mo·​not·​o·​ny mə-ˈnä-tə-nē How to pronounce monotony (audio)
-ˈnät-nē
1
: tedious sameness
the monotony of the landscape
the monotony of prison life
fixing a variety of foods to avoid monotonySHAPE
2
: sameness of tone or sound
the soft monotony of her voice

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 Add intervals and inclines: Changing up your pace and terrain not only increases the challenge, but also breaks the monotony to make your routine a little more fun. Ashley Mateo, SELF, 31 Oct. 2023 Civilians with expendable cash go out to dinner to break up the monotony of being alive. Vulture, 26 Oct. 2023 Life on the boat meant hours of monotony punctuated with terror. Laurie Hertzel, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023 As early as 1776, Adam Smith feared that the monotony of factory jobs, which required repeating one or two rote tasks all day long, would spill over into workers’ private lives. WIRED, 21 Sep. 2023 Pride — and money — will be on the line as the NBA tries to shake up the monotony of the 82-game schedule. Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 15 Aug. 2023 In an effort to eliminate the monotony of intentional fouls and free throws that have come to dominate the end of college and NBA games, TBT employs a final target score format known as the Elam Ending. The Courier-Journal, 22 July 2023 The monotony of the interplay between Gabriel and Nicky, both in and out of court, is briefly relieved by scenes with their respective families. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 June 2023 The sound of Good Humor vendors breaking the monotony of a humid and still Baltimore summer’s night with their jaunty jangling bells is no more. Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun, 5 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monotony.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see monotonous

First Known Use

1636, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of monotony was in 1636

Dictionary Entries Near monotony

Cite this Entry

“Monotony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monotony. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

monotony

noun
mo·​not·​o·​ny mə-ˈnät-ᵊn-ē How to pronounce monotony (audio)
-ˈnät-nē
plural monotonies
1
: sameness of tone or sound
2
: lack of variety
especially : a lack of change that causes boredom

More from Merriam-Webster on monotony

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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