1
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
it was a drear morning in January when I went to take my driving test
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
causing unhappiness
a barren and drear existence in a remote village
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in moroseness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drear
Adjective
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Even the relatively staid premiere stole a handful of grim chuckles thanks to its guest star’s exceedingly blasé delivery of impossibly bleak news.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
9 Mar. 2025 -
Yet if Mickey’s life is suffocatingly bleak, Mickey 17 is anything but.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Family members and two of his lawyers say he was diagnosed with severe PTSD, a sad and rapid fall that ended in another explosion of violence.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2025
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Some potential sad news from the wild kingdom: the bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow, who have become online stars, may have lost one of their three eaglets amid a snowstorm.—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Retirement has been described by many who struggle as being incredibly lonely.—
Lorraine Wiseman,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
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The withdrawn San Francisco drama, about lonely nonbinary nanny and restaurant server Cass (Asia Kate Dillon), is simple in its presentation, but disguises numerous layers to its story.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Still, overall traffic expectations in Meridian are basically pretty depressing.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
12 Mar. 2025
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Depending on your point of view, either the depressing vibes outweigh the gorgeous animation or the gorgeous animation outweighs the depressing vibes.—
Jeremy Fassler,
Vulture,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Our essayist challenges that notion and encourages us to embrace ennui as a time to rest and rekindle the spirit.—
Robert Klose,
The Christian Science Monitor,
26 Feb. 2025
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Though some of the scenes around Japanese culture are dialed up for comedic effect, the film’s theme of existential ennui will ring true for most.—
Aislyn Greene,
AFAR Media,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The outage was random and intermittent, lasting for 45 minutes at a time, then resuming only to go dark again for another 45 minutes.—
John Brandon,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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Boat Rocker’s slate currently comprises the likes of 1980s throwback dark comedy Video Nasty, drama series Mix Tape and Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber’s Sundance 2024 doc War Game.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Michael Gandolfini pops up as a slimy Fisk mayoral staffer who wouldn’t look out of place in this magazine’s recent cover featuring the new young right, and his playing both pathetic and vaguely sympathetic is very fun to watch.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2025
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How to decide which of these pathetic characters will get his fading masculinity restored?—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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And tedium leads to boredom which can lead to distraction which can lead to accidents.—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
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Gray walls, harsh lighting, stiff hierarchies, mystifying rules, endless reams of paper: the tedium and repressiveness of bureaucratic work is proverbial.—
Charlie Tyson,
The New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Drear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drear. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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