as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
the characterizations are good, but the plot is just ho-hum
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ho-hum
John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Another ho-hum, 142-yards-from-scrimmage day.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Nov. 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
At ho-hum games, large swaths of seats in the upper bowl are empty.
—John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Another ho-hum, 142-yards-from-scrimmage day.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Nov. 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
-
Shopping on a budget doesn't have to be boring.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
-
For the boring old textbook reason of shifting interest rate differentials.—
Kelly Evans,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Some folks who were moving a little slow, some folks wanted to dilute the Canadiana or the Big C Canadian of it.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
In practice, the process is slow, burdensome, and uncertain.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Sound routines, sound tennis mind Pegula says that travelling all over the globe as a part of the WTA’s tour season is exhilarating on a day-to-day basis, but can be tiring over the long haul.—
Andy Frye,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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But before continuing its schedule, the Heat has two days off to rest and recover from this tiring stretch on the road.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And that is gratifying after two episodes of somewhat dull table-setting.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
-
All in all, 2026 asks you to grow up without growing dull or losing your sense of wonder.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Being able to be in a room full of comedians being stupid and funny like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Republican primary voters who do stupid things and vote for candidates with no chance of winning suffer the consequences.—
Kevin Igoe,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Feb. 2026
Interjection
-
The new iPad Pro marks the point midway between the way things were (Bezel? Yuck!) and the way they soon will be (Nothing but screen.—
David Pierce,
WIRED,
12 June 2017
Adjective
-
Thirty years of closure didn’t slow down progress Despite more than half a century of entertainment, the State Theatre closed in 1990 as other movie theaters started popping up and the mechanics of the building became weary.—
Angela George,
Sioux Falls Argus Leader,
23 Jan. 2026
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Every imaginable class is on offer at the state-of-the-art fitness center and movement studios and weary muscles can be revived by hitting the Springhouse Circuit, which includes a salt room, cedar sauna, hyperbaric oxygen chamber, tepidarium, and cold plunge.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Of the final contenders—Zaida the Afghan hound, Cookie the Maltese, JJ the Lhasa apso, Graham the Old English sheepdog, Cota the Chesapeake Bay retriever, Penny the Doberman pinscher, and Wager the smooth fox terrier—four-year-old Penny was crowned the year’s top dog.—
Poupay Jutharat,
Vogue,
4 Feb. 2026
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The 83-year-old senator has had multiple health issues over the past few years, including publicly freezing during a press conference in 2023 and falling ahead of a Senate vote in October 2025.—
Lillian Metzmeier,
Louisville Courier Journal,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ho-hum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ho-hum. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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