dreary

1 of 2

adjective

drea·​ry ˈdrir-ē How to pronounce dreary (audio)
drearier; dreariest
Synonyms of dreary
1
: feeling, displaying, or reflecting listlessness or discouragement
… cheer a dreary mind …—George Berkeley
2
: having nothing likely to provide cheer, comfort, or interest : gloomy, dismal
a cold, dreary morning
drearily
ˈdrir-ə-lē How to pronounce dreary (audio)
adverb
dreariness
ˈdrir-ē-nəs How to pronounce dreary (audio)
noun

dreariness

2 of 2

noun

drear·​i·​ness -rēnə̇s How to pronounce dreariness (audio)
-rin-
plural -es
1
archaic : sadness
2
a
: the quality or state of being dull and uninteresting : monotony, gloominess
the occasional dreariness of being dutiful—Claudia Cassidy
b
: something that is dull, monotonous, and uninteresting
the concert was one of those fragmentary drearinesses that people endure because they are fashionable—Mark Twain

Synonyms of dreary

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Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for dreary

dismal, dreary, bleak, gloomy, cheerless, desolate mean devoid of cheer or comfort.

dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

Examples of dreary in a Sentence

Adjective It was a gray, dreary morning. The family struggled through dreary economic times.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
After a long, dreary winter, nothing tastes as sweet as spring. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2026 After eight months of looking at a dreary gray safety cover, our backyard pool opened last week. — Brad Moon, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026 Strawberries are usually the first fruit to ripen in the spring and are a sweet reward after a long, dreary winter. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 26 May 2026 Amid the dreary wasteland of modern technology, Black nerdom might save us yet. — Tatiana Lee Rodriguez, Pitchfork, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for dreary

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English drery, from Old English drēorig sad, bloody, from drēor gore; akin to Old High German trūrēn to be sad, Goth driusan to fall

Noun

Middle English drerinesse, from Old English drēorignys, from drēorig sad, bloody + -nys, -nes -ness

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dreary was before the 12th century

Rhymes for dreary

See All Rhymes for dreary

Browse Nearby Words

drearisome
dreary
dreck
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dreary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dreary. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

dreary

adjective
drea·​ry ˈdri(ə)r-ē How to pronounce dreary (audio)
drearier
ˈdrir-ē-ər
 ; dreariest
: having nothing that provides cheer, comfort, or interest
drearily
ˈdrir-ə-lē How to pronounce dreary (audio)
adverb
dreariness
ˈdrir-ē-nəs How to pronounce dreary (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dreary

Nglish: Translation of dreary for Spanish Speakers

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