DREARINESS Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

dreariness

noun

Definition of dreariness

as in sadness

a state or spell of low spirits my own dreariness seemed to match the dismal weather we were having

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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 dreariness Jonestown afflicted Naipaul’s vision, his way of deciphering not just political manias but the dreariness of urban life, the perpetual doom of the nuclear-arms race. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026 Days shorten, shadows lengthen, and the cold and dreariness of winter return. — Thomas A. Dubois, The Conversation, 17 June 2026 Valentine’s Day is like a sweet little respite from February dreariness. — Rebecca Norris, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreariness

Noun

Tsai, the Stanford professor, has conducted research on how emotion in American culture puts value on trying to always feel positive and minimizing negativity and sadness.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Survey findings About 28% of Gaston respondents reported moderate or higher levels of negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety, anger or boredom, compared with roughly 10% in Union, Venkitasubramanian said.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of sadness

Noun

By contrast, Alzheimer’s disease typically is associated with memory and language loss, and is more associated with apathy and depression than with anxiety.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
The authors note that high-functioning depression is not an official diagnosis in the DSM-5, the manual clinicians use to diagnose mental health conditions.

— Allison Aubrey, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of depression

Noun

The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing.

— Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of melancholy

Noun

His dip in the polling this month seems less attributable to any new policy position or statements than to just a general gloom among California residents about the state’s direction, Baldassare said.

— Andrew Graham October 27, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
The director general was attempting to lift the gloom after being beset with questions from anxious employees about job losses, service reductions, and general retrenchment.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of gloom

Browse Nearby Words

drearily

dreariness

dreary

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“Dreariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreariness. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of dreariness

noun

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