weary

1 of 2

adjective

wea·​ry ˈwir-ē 

wearier; weariest

1

: exhausted in strength, endurance, vigor, or freshness

2

: expressing or characteristic of weariness

a weary sign

3

: having one's patience, tolerance, or pleasure exhausted

—used with of

soon grew weary of waiting

4

: wearisome

wearily

ˈwir-ə-lē 

adverb

weariness

ˈwir-ē-nəs 

noun

weary

2 of 2

verb

wearied; wearying

intransitive verb

: to become weary

transitive verb

: to make weary

Did you know?

Sick and Tired: The Literal and Figurative Meanings of Lassitude

Lassitude and weariness make an interesting pair. As with many nearly synonymous pairs of words in English, one is derived from Latin and the other from Old English. Even though they both mean “the condition of being tired,” they are used in different ways. Following a common pattern, the Latinate word tends to be used in technical, medical, and formal writing, and the Old English-derived word is used when referring to physical, emotional, and spiritual qualities.

Lassitude comes from the Latin word lassus, meaning “weary.” Our English spelling comes from the French word that developed directly from Latin, borrowed in the 15th century. In French, the word las (masculine) or lasse (feminine) means “weary” or “tired,” and the idiom être las de means “to be sick and tired of.” This led to another English word with the same root: alas, a word that expresses sadness or disappointment, but conveys some measure of fatigue and resignation as well.

Though it sometimes is just a fancy word for fatigue in medical contexts, lassitude is also used in ways that are metaphorical and closer in meaning to “negligence”:

Congress was being choked by pettiness and lassitude.

The case was delayed because of sheer lassitude.

The failure was the result of moral lassitude.

Synonyms

Adjective

• all in
• aweary [archaic]
• beat
• beaten
• bleary
• burned-out
• burnt-out
• bushed
• dead
• done
• drained
• exhausted
• fatigued
• jaded
• knackered [British]
• limp
• logy
• loggy
• played out
• pooped [slang]
• prostrate
• spent
• tapped out
• tired
• tuckered (out)
• washed-out
• wearied
• wiped out
• worn
• worn-out

Verb

• bore
• jade
• tire

Choose the Right Synonym for weary

tire, weary, fatigue, exhaust, jade mean to make or become unable or unwilling to continue.

tire implies a draining of one's strength or patience.

the long ride tired us out

weary stresses tiring until one is unable to endure more of the same thing.

wearied of the constant arguing

fatigue suggests great lassitude from excessive strain or undue effort.

fatigued by the day's chores

exhaust implies complete draining of strength by hard exertion.

shoveling snow exhausted him

jade suggests the loss of all freshness and eagerness.

appetites jaded by overindulgence

Examples of weary in a Sentence

Adjective

I would remember the potential for return, all things circling as they do, into something like fullness, small moments of completion that weave together, like Penelope's cloth, doing and undoing themselves by turns, an unfinished pattern that guides a weary traveler home … —Paul Sorrell, Parabola, May 2000

But for the wilted weeds that managed to jut forth in wiry clumps where the mortar was cracked and washed away, the viaduct wall was barren of everything except the affirmation of a weary industrial city's prolonged and triumphant struggle to monumentalize its ugliness. —Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997

Every day for a week Ellsworth showed up to see Clarence and every day Miss Eunice and Mr. George Edward would exchange weary glances and shrugs … —Randall Kenan, Let the Dead Bury Their Dead, 1992

I need to rest my weary eyes.

The miners were weary after a long shift.

She was weary from years of housework.

Verb

What wearies me about Dickens, however, is his excessive use of words. —Will Manley, Booklist, 1 Nov. 2006

I doubted what Indonesia now had to offer and wearied of being new all over again. —Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father, (1995) 2004

Does it weary me to find some women of the next generation reinventing the wheel when it comes to planning their lives and dreaming of their romantic futures? —Margo Jefferson, New York Times Book Review, 15 Apr. 2001

The work wearies me sometimes.

these constant complaints are really wearying me

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Fostering independence: These electronic devices can offer respite to weary parents, but only if their kids can use them independently. —Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 2 Nov. 2024

Still, weary international sellers are set to descend on Sin City to sell their wares, as the venue moves from LA to Vegas. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024

Verb

In the fall of 1982, after two wearying years of quarantines that ultimately extended through six counties and some 3,000 square miles, California declared victory. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024

Win or lose, though, animal advocates will still face the wearying task of trying to bridge the public’s cognitive dissonance about where our meat comes from and channel it productively into politics. —Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Verb

Middle English wery, from Old English wērig; akin to Old High German wuorag intoxicated and perhaps to Greek aōros sleep

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing weary

• weary of
• world-weary

Kids Definition

weary

1 of 2 adjective

wea·​ry ˈwi(ə)r-ē 

wearier; weariest

1

: worn out in strength, energy, or freshness

2

: showing or marked by weariness

3

: having one's patience, interest, or pleasure exhausted

weary of the delays

4

: wearisome

wearily

ˈwir-ə-lē 

adverb

weariness

ˈwir-ē-nəs 

noun

weary

2 of 2 verb

wearied; wearying

: to become or make weary