drab 1 of 2

as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest the new city hall promises to be another drab pile of masonry for the town

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

drab

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of drab
Adjective
American Heart feels particularly drab, thematically empty and rushed. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 1 July 2025 From the extremely drab future of 2176, three adventurers are sent back in time to July 4, 1776 but mistakenly land in the year 1976. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
Noun
These varieties produce drab-looking but tasty fruiting bodies called truffles, which mammals like dogs or boars will find by smell—then dig up and eat. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Jan. 2025 This will occur in drips and drabs. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for drab
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drab
Adjective
  • There are occasional boring stretches, along with confounding ones.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 Aug. 2025
  • At the end of the day, Stone relied on all of the wardrobe classics to turn boring old sports merch into a sartorial home run.
    Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 31 July 2025
Noun
  • At some point, Perkins reportedly introduced Millard to a Black prostitute but Millard wanted a White one instead, the news report said, citing warrants.
    Louis Casiano, Fox News, 24 Mar. 2023
  • Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, named after Shields’s controversial first film about a young girl who was a child prostitute, features interviews from her childhood friend and actress Laura Linney and Drew Barrymore and how to contrasted with Shields’s experience in the spotlight.
    Vulture, Vulture, 22 Mar. 2023
Adjective
  • The only other real difference was that the no-sugar version looked shinier and gummier, whereas the originals were a bit duller in comparison.
    Lisa DeSantis, Glamour, 29 July 2025
  • Changeable conditions usually make for exciting races, but 2025 was a bit dull.
    Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 28 July 2025
Noun
  • Fulton had played a hooker in Girl of the Night (1960), starring Anne Francis, when someone from As the World Turns called her manager looking to see if one of his clients, East of Eden actress Lois Smith, was available to play Lisa.
    Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
  • Strip clubs, booze, hookers, blow, the whole nine yards.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, Kennedy’s opponent, Vice President Richard Nixon, seemed to embody what voters were tiring of—the stale complacency and status quo of the 1950s.
    Time, Time, 23 July 2025
  • There are only so many new stories to be told, and audiences seem to be tiring of the monotony.
    Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • On the palate, the wine is velvety and streamlined with notes of black cherry, dusty chocolate mocha and graphite, with a long elegant finish.
    Liz Thach, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
  • Silvery fabric curtained the frame around him, floating loosely in the cold, dusty air.
    Lizz Schumer, People.com, 28 July 2025
Adjective
  • Progress toward the opening of the micro-home village has been slow following a ceremonial groundbreaking held in July 2023.
    Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 30 July 2025
  • As elevated mortgage rates continue to put a damper on the housing market locally and nationally, rising inventory, slower sales and lower prices have made for more favorable conditions for potential buyers in the Austin-area housing market.
    Shonda Novak, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Adjective
  • Many senior party and military leaders, weary after years of a punishing civil war, were reluctant to go up against the strongest force in the world.
    M. Taylor Fravel, Foreign Affairs, 18 July 2025
  • There’s no rest for the weary — or in this case, the Florida Panthers.
    Kaitlyn Pohly, Miami Herald, 16 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drab. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on drab

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!