tedium

noun

te·​di·​um ˈtē-dē-əm 

1

: the quality or state of being tedious : tediousness

also : boredom

2

: a tedious period of time

Synonyms

• boredom

Examples of tedium in a Sentence

The movie was three hours of tedium.

I took a day off to relieve the tedium of work.

Recent Examples on the Web

The energy of dance, the rhythmic movements, and the respite from the noise and tedium of life, feed my soul. —Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

While many of the works, especially the drawings, have never appeared in Matisse shows, organizers initially worried that an exhibition focusing on the artist’s portraits of one person would veer into tedium. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 June 2025

And there are many things that people can actually do to get this transcendence, to get away from the tedium of the psychodrama of your own life. —Nbc News, NBC news, 25 May 2025

For the director’s detractors, these can be chunks of pure tedium, indicative of his hands-off, fly-on-the wall approach to cinema. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin taedium disgust, irksomeness, from taedēre to disgust, weary

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tedium

• medium
• cypripedium
• intermedium

Kids Definition

tedium

noun

te·​di·​um ˈtēd-ē-əm 

: the quality or state of being tedious : boredom