monotonous

adjective

mo·​not·​o·​nous mə-ˈnä-tə-nəs 

-ˈnät-nəs

1

: uttered or sounded in one unvarying tone : marked by a sameness of pitch and intensity

2

: tediously uniform or unvarying

monotonously adverb

monotonousness noun

Synonyms

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

Examples of monotonous in a Sentence

Altogether, millions of mostly obscure entries in the public record offer details of a forced labor system of monotonous enormity. —Douglas A. Blackmon, Slavery By Another Name, 2008

At times, the grayness of the place was consumed by its own monotonous noise, of bars clanging, of inmates being led through the corridors, of guards yelling out orders … —Benjamin Weiser, New York Times Magazine, 6 Aug. 2000

The monotonous chant of the indoctrinated, ideologically armored from head to foot … —Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997

The crickets stridulated their everlasting monotonous meaningful note. —John Updike, The Witches of Eastwick, 1984

the lecturer's monotonous delivery threatened to put us to sleep

Recent Examples on the Web

Historically, the condition is considered the result of monotonous, repetitive tasks like assembly-line jobs or positions in which employees feel undervalued or unrecognized for their work or that lack meaning, purpose and interest. —Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025

High up on the fifth floor, the couple turned a monotonous 764-square-foot apartment into something that undeniably reflects their individual styles. —Mailin Sophie Zieser, Architectural Digest, 25 Mar. 2025

Choose work that stimulates and excites you rather than monotonous or repetitive tasks. —Andrew Rosen, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

Before Toby, mornings spent driving my daughter to school were monotonous and filled with traffic. —Elizabeth Endicott, The Atlantic, 17 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

— more at monotone entry 1 + -ous

Note: Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, takes the word as a direct borrowing from Greek monótonos, with the addition of the suffix -ous.

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

monotonous

adjective

mo·​not·​o·​nous mə-ˈnät-ᵊn-əs 

-ˈnät-nəs

1

: uttered or sounded in one unchanging tone

2

: boring from being always the same

a monotonous task

monotonously adverb

monotonousness noun