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
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drear
Lynne Sullivan, The Providence Journal, 14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
As the world begins to emerge from the drear of winter, kids especially are looking to get out of the house.
—Lynne Sullivan, The Providence Journal, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drear
Adjective
-
Speaking at an event held at the Aloft Hotel in Doral, a hub for Venezuelan diaspora activism, Guanipa painted a bleak picture of conditions inside Venezuela and sharply criticized the country’s current leadership, accusing those in power of clinging to control despite widespread rejection.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
-
Without giving too much away about the endings of Caveat and Oddity, McCarthy (like Ohm) leans toward the bleak and open-ended.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
As major college athletics continues to shift into for-profit, these types of sad measures are expected to continue, and private equity will continue to creep in.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
-
And such a sad story for Positano, and this whole region.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Even populous British colonies like Virginia and Pennsylvania grew blurry on their western frontiers, where indistinct borders were protected by a few lonely forts.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Eyre-Morgan, who also wrote the script, stars as a lonely thirtysomething named Benji looking for a connection of any kind following a particularly devastating breakup.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
This level of security is a depressing necessity in modern-day Britain.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
-
The movie is simultaneously more depressing than the original and more saccharine, with a repellent amount of affection between characters who should know better.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In her new British Vogue cover story, Charli expresses a general ennui toward pop stardom.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The warmth that acts as the exact counterpole to ennui.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But what exactly happens to these baby stars next isn't always clear (literally) because they are buried deep within clouds of dark, dusty gas that obscure them.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
All the bedrooms can be found upstairs, including one that’s currently being used as an office and a primary suite flaunting dual dressing rooms and baths, plus a sauna clad in dark gray stone.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But as Notes from Underground progresses, his behavior turns from funny to pathetic to downright despicable.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Over pinwheeling synths, Mahesh inhabits her narrator’s misplaced longing with gooey, heart-eyed delusion and sweetly pathetic determination.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There is a tedium, however, to scrolling through a bunch of stuff that isn’t real, that maybe isn’t even pretending to be real, all for the sake of lying for no reason.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Part of the tedium should’ve been anticipated.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drear. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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