as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
she leads a humdrum life that will never be made into a major motion picture a humdrum meal
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in monotony
a tedious lack of variety
loathed the humdrum of daily life in a small town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of humdrum
Belinda Luscombe, Time, 6 Dec. 2025
Poised at the end of a humdrum interglacial, in an otherwise chilly corner of Earth history, industrial civilization is emitting carbon dioxide at a clip 10 times faster than the apocalyptic volcanoes of the end-Permian mass extinction.
—Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Rachel Kurzius, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Certainly the humdrum of legislation or bureaucratic rule-marking is nothing like the gossipy speculation about who may or may not bid to lead California as its 41st governor.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for humdrum
Adjective
Not all of them were hits, but nearly all of them were worth stopping and really looking at, a burst of visual peculiarity in an often humdrum urban streetscape.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 6 Dec. 2025
Poised at the end of a humdrum interglacial, in an otherwise chilly corner of Earth history, industrial civilization is emitting carbon dioxide at a clip 10 times faster than the apocalyptic volcanoes of the end-Permian mass extinction.
—Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
No, no, nothing as humdrum as all that.
—Rachel Kurzius, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Certainly the humdrum of legislation or bureaucratic rule-marking is nothing like the gossipy speculation about who may or may not bid to lead California as its 41st governor.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for humdrum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humdrum
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
-
That’s why workouts like Monday morning’s help to break up the monotony.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
20 Mar. 2026
-
But that monotony is the status quo in Chicago.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
17 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
Noun
-
Cats may also climb due to boredom, excess energy, stress, or a need to escape from people or other pets.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Caldwell carried a walkie-talkie to stay in touch with Ingrid, whose boredom in the van had been vigorously articulated across the airwaves.—
Namir Khaliq,
Big Think,
31 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
-
Amore approaches the song with all the vocal ferocity of a wind chime; MORI’s chorus repeats the title phrase in monotone.—
E.R. Pulgar,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Here is an echoey and relatively quiet limestone room full of people — Mondragon’s deep laconic monotone would attract attention in a second.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 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
Cite this Entry
“Humdrum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humdrum. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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