monotony

noun

mo·​not·​o·​ny mə-ˈnä-tə-nē 

-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

Synonyms

• humdrum
• monotone
• monotonousness
• sameness

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

Farmworkers often carried transistor radios with them to ease the monotony of their work. —Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2024

Break the monotony of performing the same duties and responsibilities by bravely taking on new ones. —Sho Dewan, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

It’s meant to free participants from the monotony and humiliation of wage work. —Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024

This simple exercise breaks through the monotony and makes the lesson stick. —Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

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

Kids Definition

monotony

noun

mo·​not·​o·​ny mə-ˈnät-ᵊn-ē 

-ˈnät-nē

plural monotonies

1

: sameness of tone or sound

2

: lack of variety

especially : a lack of change that causes boredom