mind-numbing

adjective

ˈmīn(d)-ˌnə-miŋ How to pronounce mind-numbing (audio)
Definition of mind-numbingnext
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest that movie is just a series of mind-numbing explosions and car chases

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 mind-numbing The actual job for human reinforcers can be mind-numbing. — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2026 Despite a ticking clock that seemingly guarantees the girl’s senseless death will be discarded as a cold case, Noelle is determined to uncover the truth, using her mind-numbing day job digitizing records at the local police station as a platform. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 19 June 2026 Just off a freeway in California’s Inland Empire — 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles — the brick exterior is a mind-numbing shade of beige. — Mark Dent, HubSpot, 1 June 2026 His cine-theatre can be clever but not cutting, obsessed with the reflecting mind-numbing mania of scrolling without pushing past it to more substantial revelations. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for mind-numbing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mind-numbing
  1. boring
  2. tiring
  3. slow
  4. stupid
  5. dull
  6. weary
  7. dusty
  8. old
Adjective
  • Indeed, Hank hurts lots of people in this action-comedy that doesn’t prove boring for a second but has trouble managing its disparate tones.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Ma brings a happy zeal — and an artist’s eye for detail — to creating a sense of wonder, fantasy and futuristic freedom in a world limited by boring, rational constraints.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of boring
Adjective
  • Soreness began settling in, and Mincey taught us a technique for safely walking on locked knees to spare our tiring muscles, which got us through the steep and gravelly hike.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • But keeping that up can be a tiring proposition once a Grand Slam rolls around.
    — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of tiring
Adjective
  • In fact, starting too early often has more downsides than taking it slow.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
  • But so far, the economy has grown at roughly 2% annually, slower than the gains during the Biden administration.
    — Josh Boak, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of slow
Adjective
  • Video games are one of the world’s most dominant storytelling mediums, yet the writing is often dismissed — not always unfairly — as melodramatic, overly serious and occasionally very stupid.
    — Gene Park, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Bonnell The enthusiast’s approach Bonnell’s team uses matters because electric motorcycles have an annoying tendency to make power delivery either spectacularly good or spectacularly stupid.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of stupid
Adjective
  • Designed for limp, oily, and dull hair, the color-safe formula washes away stubborn dirt and grime—common culprits of flat waves—while a lineup of amino acids work to soften and strengthen strands.
    — Madison San Miguel, Allure, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Using the pretense of a documentary film crew, the show follows the excruciatingly dull workday experiences of a paper supply company in a drab office in a bleak industrial estate in Slough, England.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of dull
Adjective
  • Fall is the perfect time to revive summer-weary lawns by aerating and overseeding.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Mozeliak has no idea whether Kroenke might invite him to stay, but for now the plan of rebuilding the team and reorganizing the front office remains on course, in the interest of serving fans weary and frustrated after 12 consecutive losing seasons.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of weary
Adjective
  • One Baguette is covered in a kaleidoscopic geometric pattern of colorful beads; another resembles a tiny textile artwork in dusty pink, green, and turquoise.
    — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
  • One rises, then another, then seemingly all of them—great striped bulbs of crimson, lemon yellow, and turquoise drifting between the fairy chimneys as the first sunlight catches the dusty pink folds of the landscape.
    — Scott Campbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of dusty
Adjective
  • The sheriff's office's drone was used to assist in checking the approximately 28-acre property and helped identify old kennel and animal-confinement areas.
    — River Valley Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The 27-year-old pre-training researcher’s dramatic resignation has fired off a provocative warning on X that instantly sent ripples across the tech sector.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of old

Browse Nearby Words

mindlessness
mind-numbing
mind reader
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mind-numbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mind-numbing. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of loath

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All