BORING Synonyms: 216 Similar and Opposite Words

boring 1 of 3

adjective

ˈbȯr-iŋ

Definition of boring

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

boring

2 of 3

verb (1)

present participle of bore

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pushing

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Then do the boring, decisive thing, and get your team to agree on what the words mean. — Devang Agrawal, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Excited about The Pineapple Thief are about to tour North America and Europe which never gets boring. — Liza Lentini, SPIN, 9 Oct. 2026

Verb

Massive drill bits the width of a small trampoline are boring into the ground. — Robert Tann, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2026 The machinery that collapsed was a drill rig, which was boring holes for the pilings to support the weight of the supertall skyscraper that will go up on the site. — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for boring

Recent Examples of Synonyms for boring

Adjective

Tommy Gemmell, advanced from left-back, provided the equaliser on 63 minutes and with Inter tiring and Celtic still pushing, Chalmers scored the famous winner with six minutes left.

— Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of tiring

Verb

As this year's higher crude oil prices made drilling more lucrative, the associated volumes of gas coming to market have also risen, regardless of the commodity's price or demand.

— Harvey Stober, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
The former Duke star was 5 for 8 from the three-point line, drilling a couple from Steph Curry range.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of drilling

Verb

Because the switching happens thousands of times a second, the device can hold voltage steady, absorb a disturbance or operate in reverse, pushing power backward from batteries toward the grid.

— Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Those cases were part of a broader movement pushing the limits of who is accountable for a mass shooting.

— Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 20 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

But also, the audience is not used to people delivering blunt questions — no matter how stupid the answer.

— Jade Tran, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2026
Pierce and Kember were born in the same place on the same day, a lore-enhancing coincidence too stupid to make up.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of stupid

Verb

No wonder some of the film’s most piercing moments are on the periphery.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
But there’s no icy chill to his vision, only the glib confidence that a feel-good montage or a piercing Anohni and the Johnsons ballad will blind us to his film’s lack of human connection.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of piercing

Verb

The remarks followed the release of strong quarterly results, with revenue and earnings beating analysts’ expectations despite a 6% downturn in revenue due to pressure squeezing all broadband purveyors.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
Fuel expenses are squeezing daily household budgets and tightening cash flow toward the end of the month, with reports indicating a growing number of French employees are requesting payroll advances to manage month end expenses.

— , CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezing

Verb

So, get ready for mountain vistas and exhausting cycling days to take your breath away and questions about your life choices to swirl around in your head!

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
On the third bike was Jenny Brookes, Zero's senior global brand manager, who rode a standard DSR/X adventure bike for approximately 239 miles (384 km) before exhausting its battery.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhausting

Browse Nearby Words

bore witness

boring

boringly

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Style

“Boring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boring. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of boring

adjective

verb (1)

verb (2)

Example Sentences

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