1
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
vowed that he would never take a desk job working in a dreary office
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in depressing
causing unhappiness
decided to see a professional counselor in order to save their dreary marriage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
another dreary social event to suffer through
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dreary
The Jets are known as one of worst (if not the worst) offenses in the league, but the defense had to deliver, regardless of the opponent’s dreary demeanor.
—
Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2025
When the days are short and the weather dreary across much of Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe, these winter carnivals bring a punch of joy.
—Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 18 Oct. 2025
The true death knell, however, is the fact that the mix of dreary and dreamlike — the very juxtaposition that gives Kiss of the Spider Woman its aenima and its sting — sit too uneasily next to each other, as if both halves were stuck in a separate conversation instead of talking to each other.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
After the storm moves away from the coast later Monday into Tuesday, the East could get a brief reprieve from the dreary weather.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreary
Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2025
When the days are short and the weather dreary across much of Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe, these winter carnivals bring a punch of joy.
—Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 18 Oct. 2025
The true death knell, however, is the fact that the mix of dreary and dreamlike — the very juxtaposition that gives Kiss of the Spider Woman its aenima and its sting — sit too uneasily next to each other, as if both halves were stuck in a separate conversation instead of talking to each other.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
After the storm moves away from the coast later Monday into Tuesday, the East could get a brief reprieve from the dreary weather.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreary
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
-
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
Adjective
-
Despite looking like a fighter pilot who could win a game of dogfight football, Colin isn’t framed as a temptation for Marissa, and a lack of sexy secrets proves to be a recurring blind spot for the series, even if those two have plenty of other skeletons in their massive, boring closets.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
6 Nov. 2025
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All this after Fern just wanted to renovate her boring bookseller life by starting over next to her orc pal Viv’s coffee shop!—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The sky was cloudless and dark with the moon’s light now below the horizon.—
Sheeka Sanahori,
Outside,
11 Nov. 2025
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Bordered by antique wood pillar columns, the custom wood and glass front doors lead into a rotunda foyer displaying dark polished hardwood floors that run throughout the interiors.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
11 Nov. 2025
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
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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
-
As that number decreases, exercises such as running and cycling will feel more challenging and tiring, and your endurance may decline as well.—
Alyssa Ages,
Outside,
23 Oct. 2025
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But Braun was solid before tiring and working through injuries that affected him on the ball over the final month last season.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 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
-
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
-
Ratcheting up the pressure on the pathetic Putin will be the only way this war ends.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dreary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreary. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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