dreariness 1 of 2

dreary

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adjective

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as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest another dreary social event to suffer through

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective dreary contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dreary are bleak, cheerless, desolate, dismal, and gloomy. While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

When might bleak be a better fit than dreary?

The meanings of bleak and dreary largely overlap; however, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

When can cheerless be used instead of dreary?

While in some cases nearly identical to dreary, cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

Where would desolate be a reasonable alternative to dreary?

The words desolate and dreary can be used in similar contexts, but desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

In what contexts can dismal take the place of dreary?

The words dismal and dreary are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

When could gloomy be used to replace dreary?

In some situations, the words gloomy and dreary are roughly equivalent. However, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

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 dreariness
Adjective
The film careens between a dreary sludge of despair and eventual heart-palpitating nightmare, Grace caught in a mercurial storm of her own moods without ballast and unable to be understood by those around her. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 May 2025 After all, who doesn’t want to soak up the sunshine after months of gray, dreary skies? Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 15 May 2025 The Giants keep this slugfest close on a cold, dreary, rainy day in East Rutherford against J.J. McCarthy, whom Schoen passed on in the 2024 draft. Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 15 May 2025 Maybe even ahead of schedule: an unexpected perk of flying semi-private is that your flight can depart early if all the passengers are present, giving you more time to soak up a Nantucket afternoon—even if that afternoon is a dreary introduction to the island’s nickname, The Gray Lady. Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for dreariness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreariness
Adjective
  • At the same time, others who attended this year’s California Democratic Party Convention dismissed any notion that the future of the Democratic Party is bleak.
    Linh Tat, Oc Register, 31 May 2025
  • The early options on the GOP side are bleak: Neither Donalds nor Casey DeSantis, the governor’s wife who’s said to be interested in succeeding him, is the moderate Florida so desperately needs now.
    Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • The mortality rates of small indie presses and literary journals are a depressing feature of our cultural landscape.
    Michael Washburn, National Review, 25 May 2025
  • Despite there being ample intrigue and mystery around what happened to Peter's first wife, the truth is pretty depressing.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • Belief that your institution is exempt from the hard, functional and often boring parts of the job leads to a slow decline.
    Carl Anka, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • One ideal that rung loudly at the presentation was that these students were unafraid to dream–rather than send designs down the runway that felt truncated, trendy or downright boring, the student designers chose an opposite route.
    Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 20 May 2025
Noun
  • The drug is believed to create more connections between brain cells, a process thought to ease depression and decrease suicidal thoughts, according to Mayo Clinic.
    Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2025
  • The Pennsylvania Democrat was elected to his seat in November 2022, months after suffering a stroke, and later was checked into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment for depression in early 2023.
    Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • The videos look just like the photos, with unnatural colors and visible noise, especially in dark environments.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 22 May 2025
  • Blast off at Baltimore's science fiction convention, see natural beauty envisioned by artists from around the world, take a stroll after dark at the zoo, celebrate Baltimore creatives or go to a legendary concert.
    John Coffren, Baltimore Sun, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • Stewart is still thanked by gay fans by creating such a rare, highly visible (albeit sad) representation.
    Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 27 May 2025
  • My back hurt from that sad excuse for a chair (seriously, who designs dining chairs to feel like medieval torture devices?).
    Renae Gregoire, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • Of course, all that excitement does get tiring after a while, and the dogs in side B eventually wind down for a brief nap.
    Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
  • At-home blowouts are hard; even when armed with the right tutorials and top-of-the-line tools, all the maneuvering gets tiring quickly.
    Kylee McGuigan, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • At the opposite end of the court, a thick layer of melancholy was present.
    Kelly Iko, New York Times, 16 May 2025
  • The far-reaching melancholy of musical theater has always been front and center in McAlpine’s work, which layers a lyricism of desire on top of string-heavy indie-pop arrangements.
    CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dreariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreariness. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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