drear 1 of 2

adjective

ˈdrir How to pronounce drear (audio)
Definition of drearnext
1
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer it was a drear morning in January when I went to take my driving test

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
causing unhappiness a barren and drear existence in a remote village

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

drear

2 of 2

noun

as in moroseness

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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 drear
Adjective
As the world begins to emerge from the drear of winter, kids especially are looking to get out of the house. — Lynne Sullivan, The Providence Journal, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drear
  1. bleak
  2. sad
  3. ennui
  4. lonely
  5. depressing
  6. tedium
  7. dark
  8. pathetic
Adjective
  • Outside of Duran’s efforts, though, the Rangers’ offense was bleak.
    — Cal Phillips Updated July 11, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 July 2026
  • Indeed, Brocka insists on escapist fantasies in a world that otherwise offers no escape, which, in my view, is more hopeful than bleak — and, in turn, allows this kind of gritty sensuality to persist in his ever-enduring, luminous cinema.
    — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • Nostalgic, proud and, yeah, a little sad too, that the decade-long journey of making Stranger Things has come to an end.
    — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
  • In the comments, fans expressed conflicted feelings about the ride’s closure, with some excited for the new version and others sad to hear the original Kumba ride will soon be no more.
    — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026
Definition of sad
Noun
  • My audience would laugh one instant, and then with the alchemical dark arts of my verbal prowess, they’d be volta’d into grief and ennui with breakneck speed.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
  • Before there was The Office—British or American—there was Office Space, Mike Judge’s razor-sharp satire of middle-American corporate ennui.
    — Air Mail, Air Mail, 4 July 2026
Definition of ennui
Adjective
  • The film follows Gro (Ezeudu-Sterling), a lonely night-shift worker raised by vampires, who discovers she’s adopted and will never become one of them.
    — Jennie Punter, Variety, 14 July 2026
  • For a generation branded the loneliest generation, hiking clubs are becoming more than a workout.
    — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 July 2026
Definition of lonely
Adjective
  • In addition to which, the Moon is lined up with stern Saturn, which can be depressing.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 7 July 2026
  • Laughter and jokes are banned, and writing is presented as arduous and faintly depressing.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of depressing
Noun
  • Sea Rangers offer a Swiss Army knife’s dexterity, pursuing government contracts across the European Union and United Kingdom to tackle the tedium of climate compliance and the drudgery of clearing those backlogs.
    — Richard Morgan, Time, 29 June 2026
  • Of course, the tedium is the point.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
Definition of tedium
Adjective
  • Aerial footage showed heavy damage to the suspect's vehicle, a dark gray sedan.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 14 July 2026
  • They're headed to a battery recycler who will shred them into a fine, dark powder called black mass, from which those minerals can be recovered and reused in new batteries.
    — Camila Domonoske, NPR, 13 July 2026
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • Never in my lifetime has pathetic nostalgia for the white man’s republic been closer to the center of power.
    — Brian DeLay, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
  • Instagram Plus is social media’s newest low—a company preying on our most pathetic impulses, for the price of a small iced coffee.
    — Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Definition of pathetic

Browse Nearby Words

dreamy
drear
drearily
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Cite this Entry

“Drear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drear. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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