weary 1 of 2

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as in tiring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest a weary march through a lot of boring facts and figures

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

weary

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word weary distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of weary are exhaust, fatigue, jade, and tire. While all these words mean "to make or become unable or unwilling to continue," weary stresses tiring until one is unable to endure more of the same thing.

wearied of the constant arguing

When is it sensible to use exhaust instead of weary?

The meanings of exhaust and weary largely overlap; however, exhaust implies complete draining of strength by hard exertion.

shoveling snow exhausted him

In what contexts can fatigue take the place of weary?

The synonyms fatigue and weary are sometimes interchangeable, but fatigue suggests great lassitude from excessive strain or undue effort.

fatigued by the day's chores

Where would jade be a reasonable alternative to weary?

While the synonyms jade and weary are close in meaning, jade suggests the loss of all freshness and eagerness.

appetites jaded by overindulgence

When is tire a more appropriate choice than weary?

Although the words tire and weary have much in common, tire implies a draining of one's strength or patience.

the long ride tired us out

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 weary
Adjective
Officials noted that the public can grow weary from too many flooding alerts or forecasts that turn out to be minor. CBS News, 7 July 2025 And the family members of the missing — from the camp and elsewhere — continue to grow weary. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 7 July 2025
Verb
Amid all this morphing, what has stayed constant is that COVID has been, in one way or another, wearying in a bone-deep way. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 7 Mar. 2025 He is wearied but stays firm in the notion that his job isn’t to badger and demean the half of the country that disagrees with him. Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for weary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weary
Adjective
  • The tired belief that Republicans are better at handling the economy simply isn’t true.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Nations like Ghana are tired of being the world’s dumping ground, although Agbofah is not naïve enough to want the containers to just stop arriving.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • LinkedIn users are bored of their feeds (and vocal about it).
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Although Devil Girl from Mars was typical of the silly, schlocky TV fare that Estelle watched on many afternoons during her childhood, this movie was more than entertainment for a bored, lonely girl-child.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Superman’s meh international returns can also be understood as reflective of the worldwide audience tiring of Hollywood’s cultural diktats.
    Chris Lee, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
  • With both sets of players tiring, the best chance of the 30-minute period would fall to substitute Salma Paralluelo, who could not divert Batlle’s cross towards goal from four yards out.
    Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 27 July 2025
Verb
  • Still the gigantic creature bored his way downward, with undiminished speed.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
  • The female bores into the fig to lay its eggs, which hatch out as larvae inside the fruit and eat the unripe insides before burrowing their way out.
    Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Here is a closer look at what the Jayhawks will be wearing in that game.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Gastineau and Favre were surrounded by multiple onlookers and Gastineau wore a microphone provided by the film crew.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The joke is that their jobs have left them too exhausted to do much of anything at all.
    Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025
  • He’s seen firsthand what happens when officers feel unsupported, disengaged, and emotionally exhausted.
    Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Stick with boring investments to avoid big mistakes from get-rich-quick schemes.
    Jonathan I. Shenkman, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Hosting every summit in a big European city would alleviate much of the pressure to re-invent the wheel every time with respect to hotels, transit, and other boring but essential logistical details.
    Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Procedures at the clinic sometimes ran through the night—the record for the latest was four in the morning—but Terrazas never seemed to tire.
    Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
  • Waves in rapid succession can tire swimmers quickly.
    Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Weary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weary. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

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