tedium

noun

te·​di·​um ˈtē-dē-əm 

1

: the quality or state of being tedious : tediousness

also : boredom

2

: a tedious period of time

Synonyms

• blahs
• boredom
• doldrums
• ennui
• listlessness
• restlessness
• weariness

Examples of tedium in a Sentence

The movie was three hours of tedium.

I took a day off to relieve the tedium of work.

Recent Examples on the Web

The star, who initially waved off the idea of a second season of the comic book series, has softened in recent months, and a few awards should ease the tedium of hours spent in the makeup chair. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 Jan. 2025

Molnar captures the isolation, despair and mind-breaking tedium of early motherhood with scrupulous precision. —Irina Dumitrescu, The Dial, 27 Nov. 2024

Family-friendly Offerings The Ritz approaches the usual kids' club tedium with some actually clever ideas. —Paul Jebara, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2024

Waves of them have crashed into communities like these in recent decades — crack, heroin, opioids, now fentanyl, taking shifts filling worlds of tedium and anxiety. —John Branch, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin taedium disgust, irksomeness, from taedēre to disgust, weary

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

tedium

noun

te·​di·​um ˈtēd-ē-əm 

: the quality or state of being tedious : boredom