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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 dreary House Of The Dragon helped revive some interest, but the show’s drearier tone and slow pacing failed to capture the same magic of the original, and a disappointing second season left many feeling baffled and frustrated with the lack of momentum and changes from the source material. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025 No nomination for Kieran Culkin, who could’ve had an awards three-peat after his Emmy and Oscar; no nominations for Gyllenhaal or Denzel Washington or anyone else involved in their dreary Shakespearean slog; and on the musical side, nothing for Nick Jonas or The Last Five Years. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 May 2025 There have been some dreary performances this season — Aston Villa, Juventus, and Arsenal away from home all spring to mind — where City’s approach play felt a bit too safe, the movement from full-back into midfield quite predictable and containable in front of the opposition defence. Thom Harris, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025 Rain continues Friday After a dreary Thursday, storms are expected to continue into Friday, April 25. Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dreary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreary
Adjective
  • The latest Email Threat Trends Report from VIPRE paints a bleak picture.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
  • Related article Putin just called Trump’s bluff on Ukraine, with the Russian art of the ‘no’ deal Ukraine in 2025 is a bleak prospect.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • Instead, Chernow devotes a hefty portion of his 1,039 pages (excluding notes) to Twain’s personal tribulations, a depressing series of bungles and calamities starting in the author’s middle age.
    Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025
  • Based on the memoir of a real doctor, the stories and tribulations feel achingly real, and Whishaw's sly smile and tongue-in-cheek delivery keeps the depressing stories from becoming too morose.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • The Salon Clutch Structured yet theatrical, Le Salon is Jacquemus’s answer to the evening clutch—pared back, but never boring.
    Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 10 May 2025
  • Even Jiro himself, originally thought the film would be boring, Gelb admitted.
    Kristin L. Wolfe, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • All Fair remembers of that dark time in her life was having ongoing headaches, throwing up and struggling with her balance.
    Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2025
  • Suddenly, somebody invented a machine and offered them a new deal: Work in this stinky dark factory or starve.
    Karim Doumar, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2025
Adjective
  • For someone who prizes roadside Americana, this is the visual version of the sad trombone sound.
    Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
  • After the show, there's booze, girls, and hotel suites, but Abel's locked in the bathroom, being sad.
    Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • The Mets were three outs away from a sixth shutout in 23 games before Philadelphia scored four in the ninth off a tiring Max Kranick and Edwin Díaz.
    Tim Britton, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Naturally, Raducanu’s level took a dip and the 2024 U.S Open runner-up seized the chance to let rip against a tiring opponent.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Health officials have said the United States is facing a mental health crisis, and in 2023, nearly 1 in 4 adults around the world reported feeling fairly or very lonely.
    Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 17 May 2025
  • Similarly, a cat was sent to a shelter after 10 years in a home after his owner passed away, leaving him lonely and searching for a new home.
    Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • No other governor, remember, has tried to pull off this pathetic budget stunt.
    Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 10 May 2025
  • In his last, most pathetic years, Mark Twain threw himself behind the crackpot theory that the true author of Shakespeare’s plays may have been Francis Bacon.
    Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dreary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreary. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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