drab 1 of 2

Definition of drabnext
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest the new city hall promises to be another drab pile of masonry for the town

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drab

2 of 2

noun

as in prostitute
a woman who engages in sexual activities for money in its time, this waterfront dive was decried as a den of iniquity, unfit even for the drunks and drabs who haunted it

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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 drab
Adjective
And The Row’s appeal at first seemed like a pretentious effort to keep the TikTok crowd from gaping at its founders Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s it-shoes and fab-drab tailoring. Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026 But three of their last four Champions League matches have ended in defeats, including a damaging collapse at home against Athletic Club, losing 3-2, and a drab 1-0 defeat away at Union Saint-Gilloise. Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Noun
The Midi Dress Midi dresses are the opposite of drab at the moment. Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 18 Mar. 2025 Early mammals were small, strictly nocturnal, and altogether less showy–verging on downright drab, as supported by a study published March 13 in the journal Science. Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for drab
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drab
Adjective
  • Curry is pure entertainment, and the NBA is a little more boring without him.
    Sports Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Apr. 2026
  • One does detect in Iran hawks a kind of 'will to destruction' and hatred of boring, civilized diplomacy.
    Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The front desk clerk exchanged passports for iron keys while also running a prostitute ring; peddlers roamed the premises hawking lacquer boxes and sports jerseys in garbled English.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Legend says both Watson and Bemis were prostitutes, for instance.
    Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Hochheiser, who could not return to his condo due to a mold infestation, said one dull day melted into another at Villa Rosa III.
    Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Found Sound is a story about two kids, Felix and Marigold, and a seemingly dull summer vacation that’s upended when the kids find an old wooden box that says OPEN ME.
    Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Bemis, sold by her family in China and sent to America, worked as a domestic, not as a hooker.
    Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 28 Mar. 2026
  • The trope of the hooker-in-the-dumpster is as old as TV itself.
    Callum McLennan, Variety, 23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • When swallowing becomes difficult, eating can feel tiring or uncomfortable.
    Sundeep Venkatesan, The Conversation, 23 Mar. 2026
  • And adopting the mantle of cultural curmudgeon can get tiring.
    Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Cape Canaveral is no dusty history tour.
    Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
  • No amount of inner toughness would have convinced a customer to bring in a dusty rug in May 2020.
    Big Think, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • In fact, businesses hired workers at their slowest pace since 2011, excluding the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
    Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
  • The area’s large tourist population contributes a constant volume of unfamiliar drivers to already heavily congested roads, with traffic patterns that shift significantly between peak tourist season and the summer months but never truly slow to manageable levels on the area’s major corridors.
    Anton Lucanus April 3, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • In this case, the dog’s weary posture and downcast eyes made the illusion especially convincing.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Israelis have also grown weary after nearly a month of daily sirens, 16 civilian deaths and dozens of people seriously injured.
    ABC News, ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Drab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drab. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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