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
-
Her family later learned that on April 23, 2021 — the day Parker found his aunt in a bleak mood — Dee had an angry confrontation over financial issues with two employees of the trucking company.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026 -
Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.—
John Penner,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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 patient thriller finds Agnes lonely in her seedy motel, with a phone that often rings, though the person on the other end of the line never speaks.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Namir Smallwood stars opposite Coon as Peter, a paranoid former soldier and mysterious drifter who meets her character Agnes, a lonely waitress.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In the story, there is a lot of comedy that naturally arises from tragic moments, from dark, depressing moments.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
10 Jan. 2026
-
This is par for the course, because conversations are confusing, even depressing.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Super Pedestrian is loose and fun in an untight world — pop-rock banger after banger about the messiness of life in your early twenties, navigating situationships, and combatting post-pandemic ennui.—
Marissa R. Moss,
Rolling Stone,
19 Dec. 2025
-
Absolved of the possibility of death, the novel suffers the ennui that vampires endure.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Don't feel afraid to play with bold (but dark) colors and various materials.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Open my soul to the vast dark places.—
Gwen Faulkenberry,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Add the pathetic reality that Illinois is the very definition of unfriendliness for business development and job creation, and the only thing Pritzker and his accomplices can campaign on is the vilification of Trump, facts be damned.—
Paul Miller,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
-
There are solutions to Joe Biden’s failing and pathetic attempts to raise money to build a presidential library.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
20 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Enthusiasm aside, the tedium of those first few weeks was tough.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
4 Dec. 2025
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So given the sheer tedium of her existence, that photograph is a really rare and special day for the Grainier family.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Drear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drear. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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