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
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
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Stroud had a nice second year, but didn’t challenge the elite tier at the position and his Texans had a relatively ho-hum season, finishing with the same record and another divisional round loss.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ho hum
Adjective
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
Interjection
The Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman starring title has bad reviews at 63% and a ho-hum audience score of 76%.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Stroud had a nice second year, but didn’t challenge the elite tier at the position and his Texans had a relatively ho-hum season, finishing with the same record and another divisional round loss.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ho hum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ho hum
Adjective
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Anyone who suggests Guardiola’s title-winning Manchester City teams were boring should be forced to watch 90 minutes of Mourinho’s Chelsea versus Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool in the mid-2000s and report back.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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The details might be boring, but the gathering of money—searching gem dealers, gold dealers—was a full-time job.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Audition is a slow burn, spending the better part of two hours setting up audiences for arguably one of the most graphic climaxes in horror history.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
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Tai chi is a form of exercise that involves slow, gentle movements and balancing poses.—
Carrie Madormo,
Health,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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With the departure of disgraced co-creator Justin Roiland after the third season, the show has been steadily improving in quality, with a tremendous cast and some very funny done-in-one episodes that don't have the sometimes tiring cynicism of R&M.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
10 Oct. 2025
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However, some Republicans have spoken out against her and recently reported that some administration officials are tiring of her, suggesting her influence is not unbridled.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Reeves delivers on all phases of his character arc, making a potentially dull and earnest character soar.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
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The text is excitable and wayward, while many of the photographs are dramatically dull.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But, God, to be able to play a Pablo Escobar who was just petty and wanted friends, there was something so stupid and so hilarious about that to me.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
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Keaton continued to play oddballs with a peculiar way of talking, though none were trivial or stupid.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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If the weather’s not quite suited for alfresco hangs, a subterranean level has an indoor pool, plus a sauna for relaxing your weary muscles.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
17 Oct. 2025
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Sandler in particular is already generating Oscars hype with his performance as Clooney’s weary, longtime manager, Ron.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Oct. 2025
Interjection
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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
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About 1,300 people from around the world -- ranging from children as young as 12 years old to elite athletes -- participated in the race.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Oct. 2025
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The last one – the last out of a game, say, or the last victory in a playoff series – is considered the hardest one to achieve, if old adages and the like are to be believed.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ho hum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ho%20hum. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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