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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
as in moroseness
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drear
Adjective
-
When everything looks bleak, a woman holds it up victoriously.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025 -
New York — US stocks closed lower Thursday as concerns mounted about expensive tech stocks, and a risk-off sentiment spread through markets after new data showed a bleak outlook for the job market.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Everyone's a little sad in The Holdovers, Alexander Payne's charmingly sour comedy about a student stuck at his New England boarding school over the holidays with only his grouchy professor (Paul Giamatti) and the school cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) for company.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
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The 25-year-old wide receiver is sad to see his teammates go, but trusts the vision of the New York front office.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The touching dramedy centers on a lonely American actor (Brendan Fraser) who, after seven years living in Tokyo, still feels like an outsider.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
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Phantom Son will center on Ronnie, a young and struggling runaway taken in by Audrey (Zellweger), a lonely woman whose own son was kidnapped twenty years earlier.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The Green Bay Packers suffered a brutal injury blow during their depressing Week 9 loss against the Carolina Panthers at home.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Soon, the entire room was awash with clippings, each detailing a different duplicitous scheme — a depressing reflection of how scam culture was taking over my country, eroding our trust in each other.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Seesawing stock prices fuel their ennui.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
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Among the notable new names set to walk the halls of the ennui-addled series are Natasha Lyonne, Eli Roth, YouTube icon Trisha Paytas, True Blood star Sam Trammell, and Till luminary Danielle Deadwyler.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos were looked at by many across the NFL as a dark-horse Super Bowl contender before the season started.—
Mark Kern,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Sor Juana’s verses confirm that venturing into the dating pool is always like stepping into a dark abyss.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Enter Claude Whelan, played by James Callis, a fine actor with a face that can contort itself into about a dozen different versions of misery and pathetic dismay.—
Brian Grubb,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
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Ratcheting up the pressure on the pathetic Putin will be the only way this war ends.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Game 3 of the World Series was a stone-cold thriller, with peaks of high drama and longueurs of exquisitely tense tedium.—
Steve Rushin,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
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The resort’s Western hospitality is legendary, saving guests the hassle of planning and the tedium of ski lift lines.—
Suzanne Wright,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Drear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drear. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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