as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
the characterizations are good, but the plot is just ho-hum
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 ho-hum
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
Some of the uses might surprise you, while some uses might be ho-hum.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Bill Field, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2025
Depending on whether the context is stable (everyday ho hum) or unstable (e.g., COVID-19; tariff wars; geopolitical instability etc.), the cues that get signalled and the way leaders signal these messages change.
—Ellen Choi, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ho-hum
Adjective
In a sense, the AI is statistically going to generalize on wedding speeches and tend toward a kind of ho-hum common ground.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
Some of the uses might surprise you, while some uses might be ho-hum.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Interjection
The distinction between being unique and ho hum is as thin as the crust.
—Bill Field, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2025
Depending on whether the context is stable (everyday ho hum) or unstable (e.g., COVID-19; tariff wars; geopolitical instability etc.), the cues that get signalled and the way leaders signal these messages change.
—Ellen Choi, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ho-hum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ho-hum
Adjective
-
This is worlds away from that boring deli chicken sandwich, while still being easy enough to whip up on the busiest of days.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
28 June 2025
-
The contract’s scope of work includes the single bore tunnel, station entrances and exits, the excavation of underground stations and the procurement of a tunnel boring machine.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
27 June 2025
Interjection
-
Williams also recalled witnessing the Super Bowl crowd boo Taylor Swift when she was shown on the jumbotron cheering on her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Highlights include a costume parade (for kids and parents), a Purim story and boo Haman and songs.—
Linda McIntosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2024
Adjective
-
And then there is a style that believes reading should mimic the obstruction and slow struggle of writing.—
Benjamin Hale
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
-
Repeated waxing weakens follicles, making hair grow in finer and slower over time.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
Seeing that expansion and contraction over and over for six episodes (let alone three seasons) can grow tiring, and Season 3 certainly suffers from a sense of exhaustion.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
27 June 2025
-
Now in his 80s trips to the islands are more challenging, and maintaining a boat that can make the journey is expensive and tiring.—
Kathleen Rellihan,
Outside Online,
8 June 2025
Adjective
-
And what often emerges instead is a dull kind of numbness, chronic irritability or total withdrawal.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
-
Commercial or bulk matcha is often a dull yellowish or brown color, coarse in texture, and noticeably bitter.—
Devorah Lev-Tov,
Vogue,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
Mexican men were dismissed as violent Panchos and stupid Pedros.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2025
-
There’s more stupid romance around harder substances but few chemicals are more hazardous to ambition than THC.—
Benjamin Hale
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
But others may hear Xi Jinping’s call not as a rallying cry but as a weary echo of the past.—
JOSEPH TORIGIAN,
Foreign Affairs,
23 June 2025
-
After dark, there’s a Midnight Snack cart delivering warm, comfort-food bites to weary red-eye travelers (because New York never sleeps, and neither do airport people).—
Paul Rubio,
AFAR Media,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
Sculpting a modern tale about a porcelain company that’s 250 years old has a lot to do with understanding how younger generations come together, dine and entertain.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
17 June 2025
-
International students make up about 27% of the student body at the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ho-hum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ho-hum. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share