dreary

adjective

drea·​ry ˈdrir-ē How to pronounce dreary (audio)
drearier; dreariest
1
: feeling, displaying, or reflecting listlessness or discouragement
cheer a dreary mindGeorge Berkeley
2
: having nothing likely to provide cheer, comfort, or interest : gloomy, dismal
a cold, dreary morning
drearily adverb
dreariness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for dreary

dismal, dreary, bleak, gloomy, cheerless, desolate mean devoid of cheer or comfort.

dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

Examples of dreary in a Sentence

It was a gray, dreary morning. The family struggled through dreary economic times.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Federal employees are not used to being the protagonists of any story, especially a story as dreary as this. E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2025 Consumers who cut back on entertainment spending in a dreary economic environment may view video game outlays as too essential to sacrifice, instead trimming elsewhere. Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 4 Apr. 2025 The dreary outlook is pushing analysts to take a more bearish stance on the U.S. economy in the shorter term. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2025 Whether or not any individual releases can get north of $10 million, the overall outlook remains dreary. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 15 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dreary

Word History

Etymology

Middle English drery, from Old English drēorig sad, bloody, from drēor gore; akin to Old High German trūrēn to be sad, Goth driusan to fall

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dreary was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dreary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dreary. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

dreary

adjective
drea·​ry ˈdri(ə)r-ē How to pronounce dreary (audio)
drearier
ˈdrir-ē-ər
; dreariest
: having nothing that provides cheer, comfort, or interest
drearily adverb
dreariness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dreary

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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