Definition of WEARINESS

Choose the Right Synonym for weary

Verb

tire, weary, fatigue, exhaust, jade mean to make or become unable or unwilling to continue. tire implies a draining of one's strength or patience. the long ride tired us out weary stresses tiring until one is unable to endure more of the same thing. wearied of the constant arguing fatigue suggests great lassitude from excessive strain or undue effort. fatigued by the day's chores exhaust implies complete draining of strength by hard exertion. shoveling snow exhausted him jade suggests the loss of all freshness and eagerness. appetites jaded by overindulgence

Sick and Tired: The Literal and Figurative Meanings of Lassitude

Lassitude and weariness make an interesting pair. As with many nearly synonymous pairs of words in English, one is derived from Latin and the other from Old English. Even though they both mean “the condition of being tired,” they are used in different ways. Following a common pattern, the Latinate word tends to be used in technical, medical, and formal writing, and the Old English-derived word is used when referring to physical, emotional, and spiritual qualities.

Lassitude comes from the Latin word lassus, meaning “weary.” Our English spelling comes from the French word that developed directly from Latin, borrowed in the 15th century. In French, the word las (masculine) or lasse (feminine) means “weary” or “tired,” and the idiom être las de means “to be sick and tired of.” This led to another English word with the same root: alas, a word that expresses sadness or disappointment, but conveys some measure of fatigue and resignation as well.

Though it sometimes is just a fancy word for fatigue in medical contexts, lassitude is also used in ways that are metaphorical and closer in meaning to “negligence”:

Congress was being choked by pettiness and lassitude.

The case was delayed because of sheer lassitude.

The failure was the result of moral lassitude.

Examples of weary in a Sentence

Adjective

I would remember the potential for return, all things circling as they do, into something like fullness, small moments of completion that weave together, like Penelope's cloth, doing and undoing themselves by turns, an unfinished pattern that guides a weary traveler home … — Paul Sorrell, Parabola, May 2000 But for the wilted weeds that managed to jut forth in wiry clumps where the mortar was cracked and washed away, the viaduct wall was barren of everything except the affirmation of a weary industrial city's prolonged and triumphant struggle to monumentalize its ugliness. — Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997 Every day for a week Ellsworth showed up to see Clarence and every day Miss Eunice and Mr. George Edward would exchange weary glances and shrugs … — Randall Kenan, Let the Dead Bury Their Dead, 1992 I need to rest my weary eyes. The miners were weary after a long shift. She was weary from years of housework.

Verb

What wearies me about Dickens, however, is his excessive use of words. — Will Manley, Booklist, 1 Nov. 2006 I doubted what Indonesia now had to offer and wearied of being new all over again. — Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father, (1995) 2004 Does it weary me to find some women of the next generation reinventing the wheel when it comes to planning their lives and dreaming of their romantic futures? — Margo Jefferson, New York Times Book Review, 15 Apr. 2001 The work wearies me sometimes. these constant complaints are really wearying me

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Its headless neck is the perfect place to rest your weary head after a long day of work. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Headless ergonomic body pillows: comforting or totally creepy?," 11 Oct. 2018 The newspaper also reported that Mattis is becoming weary of pushing back against various Trump proposals. — Robert Burns, Fox News, "Mattis dismissive of news reports of tension with Trump," 18 Sep. 2018 The two have teamed up to offer reduced rate membership to Delta Skymiles members and the ability to use biometric scans to gain entry to airport lounges (and avoid the scrum of weary fliers waiting to show their membership card or boarding pass). — Barbara Peterson, Condé Nast Traveler, "Delta Brings Biometric Boarding to Detroit Airport," 19 July 2018 British troops, weary of fighting the Shiite militia called the Mahdi Army, transferred control to Iraqi authorities in 2007, and a year later government forces ousted the militiamen from the city. — Nabih Bulos, latimes.com, "Basra was once a jewel of a city. Now it's a symbol what's wrong in Iraq," 17 June 2018 Look, Dolphins fans (and coaches) grew weary last season of seeing Miami linebackers struggle in coverage. — Armando Salguero, miamiherald, "NFL draft Day Two live blog: Who are Dolphins targeting in round 2? | Miami Herald," 27 Apr. 2018 After all, half of us are suffering regular harms, with consequences ranging from death to injury, psychological trauma, lost professional and economic opportunities, or just a lifetime of weary, wary cynicism. — David Roberts, Vox, "What so many men are missing about #MeToo," 10 Sep. 2018 The men and women, their faces weary, stepped off the bus and walked single-file to receive a hug and a blessing from volunteers. — NBC News, "Here's how hard it is to find a migrant kid who has been separated from his mom," 25 June 2018 War-weary, deeply cynical Afghan voters are scheduled to go to the polls in parliamentary elections scheduled for late this year and presidential balloting set for early next year, in which Mr. Ghani is expected to seek re-election. — WSJ, "Afghan President Announces Cease-Fire in Bid to Squeeze Taliban," 7 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

What’s remarkable is that Flanagan, thanks largely to stellar performances from the ensemble, manages to make all this sibling drama feel suspenseful rather than wearying. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House is a slow-burn family nightmare," 12 Oct. 2018 Increasingly frustrated and wearied by the standoff, New York state governor Nelson Rockefeller — who had never visited the prison grounds — approved a raid to retake Attica by force. — Shammara Lawrence, Teen Vogue, "The Attica Prison Riot in 1971 Serves as a Reminder of the Dangers of a Failing Prison System," 13 Sep. 2018 Chicago has been used with wearying regularity by the same president as a symbol of rampant gun violence and hogtied, ineffectual law enforcement. — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "A pop-up film festival defines immigrant America — and visits Chicago," 19 Apr. 2018 In recent weeks, an exodus of trusted staff members left Pruitt increasingly isolated, and some Republican lawmakers wearied of defending him. — Washington Post, BostonGlobe.com, "Pruitt steps down as EPA head after ethics, management scandals," 6 July 2018 Southgate seemed wearied even by the prospect of a game that means next to nothing. — Jonathan Wilson, SI.com, "England's World Cup Run, Southgate Represent More for a Nation in Political Upheaval," 12 July 2018 There are signs that San Franciscans, once eager to download the latest app and try the latest gadget, are wearying of their role as Silicon Valley’s lab rats. — Trisha Thadani, San Francisco Chronicle, "London Breed as mayor has the tech industry excited. Will it last?," 15 June 2018 Copper, granite, concrete and marble are slaking people’s thirst for interiors that don’t look like wearying generic condos. — Catherine Romano, WSJ, "Kitchen Sinks Go Luxe: So Long Stainless Steel," 1 June 2018 But the endless revelations that have emerged since October about abusive men in the entertainment industry and beyond have felt wearying in their range and detail. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Handmaid's Tale and the Suffering of Women," 25 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'weary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.