DREARINESS Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

dreariness

noun

Definition of dreariness

as in sadness

a state or spell of low spirits my own dreariness seemed to match the dismal weather we were having

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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 dreariness Jonestown afflicted Naipaul’s vision, his way of deciphering not just political manias but the dreariness of urban life, the perpetual doom of the nuclear-arms race. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026 Days shorten, shadows lengthen, and the cold and dreariness of winter return. — Thomas A. Dubois, The Conversation, 17 June 2026 Valentine’s Day is like a sweet little respite from February dreariness. — Rebecca Norris, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreariness

Noun

Postpartum depression can be anxiousness or sadness, tearfulness, difficulty sleeping.

— Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
The sadness comes from reflecting on how those founders used their newly independent government and military might against Indigenous people.

— Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of sadness

Noun

The work is meant to address the 3- to 6-inch-deep depression on Pocket Road, city spokesperson Carlos Eliason said.

— Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Perpetrators target underage girls, typically between the ages of 10 and 17 years old, often preying on minors already struggling with mental health issues such as depression and suicidal ideation, according to the FBI.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of depression

Noun

On the one hand, there’s a fascination with collective joy and the forms of vernacular invention that aspire to it; on the other, there’s an underlying melancholy that points to the inevitability of isolation, an epistemology of loneliness.

— Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Beneath all the sensuality and beauty, there’s also a lingering melancholy that feels very familiar to me.

— Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 16 June 2026

Definition of melancholy

Noun

The gloom lifts in one crucial scene, late in the film, in which Sandra and April sit side by side before a bright window.

— Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Inside, we were whisked away to a world of rain and candles and velvet and creepy houses and stormy, witchy gloom.

— Danielle Pergament, Allure, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of gloom

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drearily

dreariness

dreary

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“Dreariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreariness. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of dreariness

noun

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