weary 1 of 2

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as in tiring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest a weary march through a lot of boring facts and figures

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

weary

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word weary distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of weary are exhaust, fatigue, jade, and tire. While all these words mean "to make or become unable or unwilling to continue," weary stresses tiring until one is unable to endure more of the same thing.

wearied of the constant arguing

When is it sensible to use exhaust instead of weary?

The meanings of exhaust and weary largely overlap; however, exhaust implies complete draining of strength by hard exertion.

shoveling snow exhausted him

In what contexts can fatigue take the place of weary?

The synonyms fatigue and weary are sometimes interchangeable, but fatigue suggests great lassitude from excessive strain or undue effort.

fatigued by the day's chores

Where would jade be a reasonable alternative to weary?

While the synonyms jade and weary are close in meaning, jade suggests the loss of all freshness and eagerness.

appetites jaded by overindulgence

When is tire a more appropriate choice than weary?

Although the words tire and weary have much in common, tire implies a draining of one's strength or patience.

the long ride tired us out

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 weary
Adjective
That’s three plums lined up like weary soldiers at reveille by my count. David Weiss, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025 Where Shy was the subject of Porter’s slender book — which is really more of a beat-poetry day-in-the-life monologue — the focus shifts here to the weary headmaster who’s been fighting on the students’ behalf all these years. Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
Johnny works 40 minutes past one and goes to bed wearied by the Sisyphean task. Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025 Amid all this morphing, what has stayed constant is that COVID has been, in one way or another, wearying in a bone-deep way. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for weary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weary
Adjective
  • If tired, float or tread water until out of the rip current.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Or, the formula comes in a radiant finish, which both makeup artists love for dull or tired skin in need of a pick-me-up.
    Lily Wohlner, Allure, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Instead, the bench was likely used by bored patrons.
    Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Avoid peak usage times like meal service when everyone's bored and reaching for their devices.
    Katie Nadworny, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Without a strict hierarchy or single decision-maker, our process can sometimes be slow, messy, or even tiring.
    Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The tunnel will be bored into rock 60 to 250 feet under the lakebed, using a tunnel boring machine that would progress 40 feet per day on average during construction.
    Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • But most of the shows border on boring.
    Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • So…are the long-wearing claims actually true?
    Lily Wohlner, Allure, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The Body After detectives discovered Rivas’ body, a report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner described her as a female with wavy black hair wearing a tube top and black leggings, size small, as well as yellow metal-stud earrings and a yellow metal-chain bracelet.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Founders may feel emotionally exhausted or addicted to the thrill of building.
    Anuradha Gupta, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • From severe morning sickness to complications that required hospitalization, the experience left me exhausted and anxious about the possibility of going through it again.
    Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But Anderson also knows that the moral purity of revolutionaries gets boring pretty fast.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 Sep. 2025
  • However, the McCullum and Stokes selection wagon prefers fast wheels rather than those boring job specs, such as age and experience.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Ali covered his face and tried to absorb Frazier’s metronomic body blows, aiming to tire him.
    Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Incoming waves in rapid succession can tire even an experienced swimmer quickly.
    Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Weary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weary. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.

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