Definitions

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.

We’re all familiar with workplace efficiency, where every task must beat the clock and “skill and creativity” are reduced to “repetitive, monotonous tasks, without the beautiful compensation of singing along.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

The pop star’s first solo album in nearly a decade is a slick, highly professional affair that suffers from a surplus of monotonous, surface-level balladry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

My mind flitted back to a conversation I had with my physical therapist about modern love: Dating in L.A. has become monotonous.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

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

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2025

For the rest of that day and into the night, we went up and down, up and down, up and down, until terror became monotonous and was replaced by numbness and a complete giving-up.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Vocabulary lists containing monotonous

100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know

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Of Mice and Men

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List 3

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