drab 1 of 2

Definition of drabnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in prostitute
a woman who engages in sexual activities for money in its time, this waterfront dive was decried as a den of iniquity, unfit even for the drunks and drabs who haunted it

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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
Those come in more fun colorways, including rosette and matcha, in addition to the drab but functional graphite of the Tablet 12 Pro. — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026 Medicube toner deals Toners can help improve skin's radiance and can be especially useful for this time of year when skin is looking and feeling drab due to cold weather. — Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 6 Oct. 2026
Noun
As temperatures drop and autumn gives way to the seemingly ceaseless snows of winter, some animals in northerly climes exchange their pelage or plumage of summer drab for the purest white. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026 The emails, the birthday book, the address book—there's been a lot to keep track of, released in drips and drabs. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for drab
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drab
Adjective
  • Harrison’s sociological portrait is attuned to the common idea that disaster can quickly become boring—or all too quickly assimilated and ignored.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Nov. 2026
  • No one is going to notice a boring man in chunky acetate frames.
    — Tyler Watamanuk, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • One of the men was a twenty-one-year-old Nazi stormtrooper called Horst Wessel, the son of a Protestant military chaplain, who had abandoned his home and his law studies at university to live with a young prostitute, Erna Jaenichen.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The last crime, a blackmail scheme that involved hiring a prostitute to seduce his sister’s husband, suggests a dubious approach to conflict management.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Just like many of his neighbors, the sound of the Delciello’s bell sent Carmody scrambling to round up tools and knives that needed their dull blades refreshed.
    — Susan DeGrane, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Spend your peak time on low-value work, and your axe will be dull for everything that counts.
    — Jeremy Macliver, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Depending on what the alleged hooker’s name was, maybe York was just trying to stay under the Valerie cap?
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Skipper and scrumhalf Lucu darted over after a strong run into contact from his hooker Lamothe and touched down on the half-hour to score France’s fourth try, securing a bonus competition point.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
Adjective
  • Using a touch screen even makes sense for limited interaction by digital content editors of all stripes, but reaching across the keyboard a lot is tiring, as with any touch laptop.
    — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Forget your previous experience—many of us think that exercise should be tiring and painful to work.
    — Laura Solla, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026
Adjective
  • Increasingly, there are elevated places to stay that preserve the soul of this place, opening in a slow trickle like Valbona Resort and Spa (2024) and SeSam Villas in Theth (2025).
    — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2026
  • The Bears jumped out to a 9-2 lead as USC was slow getting going offensively and committed three quick turnovers.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2026
Adjective
  • The very idea of buying a physical disc has seemed pretty dusty for years, of course.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Longley said while ocean temperatures were warm enough for tropical development throughout the season, dry and dusty air that migrated off Africa, across the Atlantic and into the Gulf was a hindering factor, in addition to the robust El Niño.
    — Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 10 Nov. 2026
Adjective
  • However, not everyone shared that sense of relief or the weary desire to move fully on from the war.
    — Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Written and directed by Sun Aoqian, the film stars Song Jia as a weary crematorium worker who accidentally mixes up two sets of funeral ashes.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Drab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drab. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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