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.

Another viral videogame, “The Exit 8,” in which the player is trapped in a monotonous Japanese subway station, was recently adapted into a feature film released by Neon this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

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

Slowly the camera pulls back to reveal an interior window, and then the back of a man’s head in silhouette, as our protagonist watches the monotonous procession.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

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

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2025

She found the music monotonous but didn’t dare say so out loud.

From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar

Vocabulary lists containing monotonous

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List 3

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