monotony

noun

mo·​not·​o·​ny mə-ˈnä-tə-nē How to pronounce monotony (audio)
-ˈnät-nē
1
: tedious sameness
the monotony of the landscape
the monotony of prison life
fixing a variety of foods to avoid monotony SHAPE
2
: sameness of tone or sound
the soft monotony of her voice

Examples of monotony in a Sentence

She hated the monotony of the job. The brief storm was a relief from the monotony of the hot summer afternoon.
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.
But the trees were a break from the monotony of churches, gas stations, and cornfields that populated the edge of our Iowa hometown. The Editors, Outside Online, 25 Dec. 2024 The show is immediately countered by the monotony of the van or the hotel. Jem Aswad, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024 Fernandez recalls the monotony of swabbing decks before getting a job in the mess. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024 That was appropriate: Davis used to delight in talking trash with Cam Newton to help break up the monotony of camp at Wofford. Joseph Person, The Athletic, 29 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for monotony 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin monotonia "sameness of tone," borrowed from Greek monotonía (attested only in the work of quintillian), from monótonos "lacking variation in pitch, monotone entry 2" + -ia -y entry 2

First Known Use

1636, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of monotony was in 1636

Dictionary Entries Near monotony

Cite this Entry

“Monotony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monotony. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

monotony

noun
mo·​not·​o·​ny mə-ˈnät-ᵊn-ē How to pronounce monotony (audio)
-ˈnät-nē
plural monotonies
1
: sameness of tone or sound
2
: lack of variety
especially : a lack of change that causes boredom

More from Merriam-Webster on monotony

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