boring

adjective

bor·​ing ˈbȯr-iŋ 

: causing weariness and restlessness through lack of interest : causing boredom : tiresome

a boring lecture

boringly

ˈbȯr-iŋ-lē 

adverb

boringness noun

Synonyms

• arid
• colorless
• drab
• dreary
• drudging
• dry
• dull
• dusty
• flat
• heavy
• ho-hum
• humdrum
• jading
• jejune
• leaden
• mind-numbing
• monochromatic
• monotonous
• numbing
• old
• pedestrian
• ponderous
• slow
• stale
• stodgy
• stuffy
• stupid
• tame
• tedious
• tiresome
• tiring
• uninteresting
• wearisome
• weary
• wearying

Examples of boring in a Sentence

I find her books totally boring.

I wish this book weren't so boring; I keep falling asleep whenever I try to read it.

Recent Examples on the Web

Anything that isn’t someone bleeding out is boring to them, that kind of thing. —Maria Fontoura, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2025

Bring the shirt around your shoulders while adding extra color and dimension to your look—cold weather fits don’t have to be boring. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2025

But here, it’s all viewed through a workplace-comedy format, which captures the kind of boring ordinariness of typical medical care while also getting at some of the big frustrations of understaffing. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025

Whether or not this is a fair assessment these days is up for debate, but in my mind meal kit recipes tend to get a bad rap for being, well, boring. —Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of bore entry 6

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing boring

• as boring as they come
• wood-boring

Rhymes for boring

• coring
• flooring
• poring
• pouring
• roaring
• scoring
• shoring
• snoring
• soaring
• storing
• warring
• whoring

Kids Definition

boring

adjective

bor·​ing ˈbō(ə)r-iŋ 

ˈbȯ(ə)r-

: causing boredom : uninteresting, tedious

boringly

-iŋ-lē 

adverb