monotonous

[muh-not-n-uhs] / məˈnɒt n əs /

ADJECTIVE

all the same, remaining the same

Synonyms

STRONGEST

boring dreary dull ho-hum humdrum plodding repetitious repetitive tedious tiresome

WEAK

banausic blah colorless droning dull as dishwater flat flat as pancake monotone nothing pedestrian prosaic puts one to sleep recurrent reiterated samely sing-song soporific toneless treadmill unchanged unchanging uniform uninflected uninteresting unrelieved unvaried unvarying wearisome wearying

Antonyms

STRONGEST

bright clear eventful exciting interesting light lively

WEAK

changing ever-changing variable versatile

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Slowly the camera pulls back to reveal an interior window, and then the back of a man’s head in silhouette, as our protagonist watches the monotonous procession.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

Mills, a sociologist, challenged this belief, describing how white-collar work could be just as monotonous, powerless and stressful as factory work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

Much of Mr. Roberts’s movement for that quartet of dancers, despite some upper-body torsioning and unison pacings, presents repeated articulations for their arms, suggesting the flapping of wings, which grows monotonous.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025

It can get a little bit monotonous and a little bit tedious.

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2025

The brown swirling waters lapped at my feet, and the monotonous chirping of the grillos as they sang in the trees mixed into a music which I felt in the roots of my soul.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

Vocabulary lists containing monotonous

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