First Known Use: 1776
Dictionary
monotonous
adjective mo·not·o·nous \mə-ˈnä-tə-nəs, -ˈnät-nəs\
—used to describe something that is boring because it is always the same
Full Definition of MONOTONOUS
1
: uttered or sounded in one unvarying tone : marked by a sameness of pitch and intensity
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Examples of MONOTONOUS
- Altogether, millions of mostly obscure entries in the public record offer details of a forced labor system of monotonous enormity. —Douglas A. Blackmon, Slavery By Another Name, 2008
- At times, the grayness of the place was consumed by its own monotonous noise, of bars clanging, of inmates being led through the corridors, of guards yelling out orders … —Benjamin Weiser, New York Times Magazine, 6 Aug. 2000
- The monotonous chant of the indoctrinated, ideologically armored from head to foot … —Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997
- The crickets stridulated their everlasting monotonous meaningful note. —John Updike, The Witches of Eastwick, 1984
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Origin of MONOTONOUS
Greek monotonos, from mon- + tonos tone
Related to MONOTONOUS
- Synonyms
- arid, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, flat, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monochromatic, boring, numbing, old, pedestrian, ponderous, slow, stale, stodgy, stuffy, stupid, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearying
- Antonyms
- absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting
Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms
MONOTONOUSNESS Defined for Kids
monotonous
adjective mo·not·o·nous \mə-ˈnä-tə-nəs\
Definition of MONOTONOUS for Kids
: boring from always being the same <Our trip across the ocean was monotonous.>
— mo·not·o·nous·ly adverb
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