dreary

adjective

drea·​ry ˈdrir-ē 

drearier; dreariest

1

: feeling, displaying, or reflecting listlessness or discouragement

cheer a dreary mind

—George Berkeley

2

: having nothing likely to provide cheer, comfort, or interest : gloomy, dismal

a cold, dreary morning

drearily

ˈdrir-ə-lē 

adverb

dreariness

ˈdrir-ē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• black
• bleak
• cheerless
• chill
• Cimmerian
• cloudy
• cold
• comfortless
• dark
• darkening
• depressing
• depressive
• desolate
• dire
• disconsolate
• dismal
• drear
• dreich [chiefly Scottish]
• elegiac
• elegiacal
• forlorn
• funereal
• gloomy
• glum
• godforsaken
• gray
• grey
• lonely
• lonesome
• lugubrious
• miserable
• morbid
• morose
• murky
• plutonian
• saturnine
• sepulchral
• solemn
• somber
• sombre
• sullen
• sunless
• tenebrific
• tenebrous
• wretched

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

While Detroit will see a warm, mostly dry Election Day much of the state is set for wet, dreary conditions. —Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024

While the forecast says Detroit will be mainly dry, much of the state is set for wet, dreary conditions on Election Day, according to meteorologists at the National Weather Service. —Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 4 Nov. 2024

On dreary days, spend a few hours at the National Museum of Scotland and the National Galleries of Scotland; when the weather cooperates, journey down the Royal Mile (Old Town’s main thoroughfare) and hike up to Arthur’s Seat, an ancient volcano and the highest peak in Holyrood Park. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 4 Nov. 2024

Whether bundling up for a dreary day in a yellow raincoat or showcasing their goofy side in a hotdog getup, porch geese dress to impress. —Isabella Milano, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2024

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

Kids Definition

dreary

adjective

drea·​ry ˈdri(ə)r-ē 

drearier

ˈdrir-ē-ər

; dreariest

: having nothing that provides cheer, comfort, or interest

drearily

ˈdrir-ə-lē 

adverb

dreariness

ˈdrir-ē-nəs 

noun