monotonous

adjective

mo·​not·​o·​nous mə-ˈnä-tə-nəs How to pronounce monotonous (audio)
-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

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
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.
An monotonous mix of ideas As an autonomous figure, the Guardian of Peace is quite independent on the battlefield compared to previous entries. Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2025 Despite what Russian President Vladimir Putin may tell the Russian public during his monotonous press conferences and New Years Day speeches, everything isn't going well in the motherland. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025 Sadler’s path involved a tiny independent label, a monotonous job, custom records, seedy promoters and a corrupt music chart. Dets. Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024 But that doesn’t mean things shouldn’t be shifted up throughout a long and occasionally monotonous season — especially after a pair of meh performances. Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for monotonous 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of monotonous was in 1776

Dictionary Entries Near monotonous

Cite this Entry

“Monotonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monotonous. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

monotonous

adjective
mo·​not·​o·​nous mə-ˈnät-ᵊn-əs How to pronounce monotonous (audio)
-ˈnät-nəs
1
: uttered or sounded in one unchanging tone
2
: boring from being always the same
a monotonous task
monotonously adverb
monotonousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on monotonous

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