boring 1 of 3

adjective

ˈbȯr-iŋ How to pronounce boring (audio)
Definition of boringnext
as in tiring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest I wish this book weren't so boring; I keep falling asleep whenever I try to read it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

boring

2 of 3

verb (1)

present participle of bore
1
as in drilling
to make a hole or series of holes in some woodpecker bored holes in our tree in the backyard

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2
as in pushing
to force one's way with some effort, she bored through the throng of yelling protestors

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boring

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of bore
as in wearying
to make weary and restless by being dull or monotonous the professor's lifeless and unimaginative teaching style bored the students to death

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 boring
Adjective
The idea that posits that a little bit of red in a room elevates otherwise boring compositions with an unexpected jolt of energy. — Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2026 The boring work may be the harder test The footage also highlights a broader challenge facing humanoid robotics. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
Fortunately, his movies are boring af … Gibney just assembled a hit list of people who either have an axe to grind or don’t even know me. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026 Cal’s power donors (justifiably) wanted out of the Justin Wilcox era because steady mediocrity and 20-13 slugfests were boring everyone to tears. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for boring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boring
  1. tiring
  2. drilling
  3. pushing
  4. wearying
  5. stupid
  6. piercing
  7. squeezing
  8. exhausting
Adjective
  • But after a while, the lack of grounding gets tiring, as various supernatural shenanigans appear to be determined more by plot convenience than anything else.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The repetition can grow tiring, but that frustration is precisely the point.
    — Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of tiring
Verb
  • The other is to give the heat more room, drilling more boreholes so it can be spread through more rock.
    — Moones Alamooti, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
  • As the chief explained it, the man was drilling a hole in the limestone mine when a rock fell in.
    — Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of drilling
Verb
  • On Frequency of Love, Monét stretches out, pushing the boundaries of the sophisticated, retro sound of her previous album and finding some surprising new angles to her songwriting.
    — Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The Kremlin has banned diesel exports due to the Ukrainian strikes, pushing global prices higher.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of pushing
Verb
  • But even at its most explicit, in documentaries, political cinema acts as an antidote to the culture’s wearying vogue for escapism.
    — Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • But for two hours the film is just set-piece after set-piece, backed by a deafening score, which becomes rather wearying.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 23 July 2026
Definition of wearying
Adjective
  • Trump’s super intelligence rebrand can ultimately be read in a couple ways, though arguably neither are particularly nuanced or incisive — just further indicative of the daily deluge of stupid.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Once upon a time, the idea that the world was growing stupider was mostly confined to the realm of dyspeptic reactionary polemic.
    — James Marriott, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of stupid
Verb
  • Another piece sliced through his salivary gland before bouncing off his jaw and piercing the back of his neck, severing an artery and embedding in a vertebra.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The most impressive is the national park’s namesake, El Teide, a cloud-piercing volcano at around 12,200 feet high—Spain’s tallest peak.
    — Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of piercing
Verb
  • Instead, Israel's military has expanded its control to roughly 70% of Gaza, squeezing more than 2 million Palestinians near the sea's edge.
    — Anas Baba, NPR, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Kyiv's retaliatory attacks mean Russian exports are now also stuck, further squeezing global supply.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of squeezing
Verb
  • The gentle squeeze around your legs provides other surprising health benefits on exhausting travel days.
    — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Commanders should seek positional advantages without exhausting their soldiers, manipulate the enemy’s movements when possible, and recognize when circumstances make pursuit or attack unwise.
    — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of exhausting

Browse Nearby Words

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boring
boringly
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Cite this Entry

“Boring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boring. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about boring

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