Synonyms of dreary

dreary

adjective

ˈdrir-ē 

1

as in bleak

causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer

vowed that he would never take a desk job working in a dreary office

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bleak
• dark
• lonely
• somber
• depressing
• depressive
• desolate
• darkening
• murky
• cold
• grey
• gray
• lonesome
• solemn
• morbid
• miserable
• gloomy
• cheerless
• wretched
• blue
• dismal
• drear
• black
• sombre
• depressed
• glum
• lugubrious
• morose
• sullen
• sad
• chill
• oppressive
• dire
• forlorn
• cloudy
• comfortless
• funereal
• sepulchral
• disconsolate
• melancholy
• saturnine
• dreich
• elegiac
• godforsaken
• dull
• sunless
• unhappy
• elegiacal
• desperate
• tenebrous
• hopeless
• woebegone
• Cimmerian
• dim
• grim
• plutonian
• dispiriting
• dejected
• negative
• mirthless
• woeful
• melancholic
• drab
• distressful
• mournful
• tenebrific
• discouraging
• despondent
• distressing
• disheartening
• inconsolable
• pessimistic
• dismaying
• low
• droopy
• menacing
• hangdog
• upsetting
• sorrowful
• down
• lamentable
• dour
• discomfiting
• colorless
• plaintive
• threatening
• louring
• lowering
• loury
• lowery

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bright
• cheerful
• cheery
• friendly
• festive
• sunshiny
• gay
• cordial
• comforting
• joyous
• joyful
• merry
• jolly
• buoyant
• gay
• mirthful
• blithe
• optimistic
• hopeful
• heartwarming
• cheering
• encouraging
• blithesome
• jocund
• lighthearted
• lightsome

2

as in depressing

causing unhappiness

decided to see a professional counselor in order to save their dreary marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

• depressing
• sad
• pathetic
• melancholy
• mournful
• unfortunate
• dismal
• drear
• tearful
• heartbreaking
• disturbing
• saddening
• teary
• sorry
• heartrending
• distressful
• lamentable
• deplorable
• woeful
• distressing
• perturbing
• grievous
• dispiriting
• disquieting
• discomforting
• moving
• discouraging
• poignant
• disheartening
• touching
• affecting
• discomposing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• happy
• cheery
• glad
• pleasant
• inspiring
• delightful
• stimulating
• uplifting
• enjoyable
• agreeable
• stirring
• welcome
• heartening
• satisfying
• pleasurable
• cheering
• pleasing
• exhilarating
• heartwarming
• thrilling

3

as in boring

causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest

another dreary social event to suffer through

Synonyms & Similar Words

• boring
• tiring
• dull
• slow
• dusty
• weary
• wearying
• stupid
• old
• heavy
• drab
• monotonous
• dry
• annoying
• tedious
• humdrum
• uninteresting
• tiresome
• irritating
• stodgy
• pedestrian
• arid
• tame
• wearisome
• colorless
• monochromatic
• stuffy
• ponderous
• stale
• leaden
• jejune
• ho-hum
• numbing
• mind-numbing
• pallid
• drudging
• grey
• exhausting
• barren
• flat
• sterile
• blah
• gray
• unexciting
• spiritless
• soggy
• dullish
• jading
• uneventful
• blank
• prosaic
• unimaginative
• uninspiring
• prosy
• unrewarding
• irksome
• unspectacular
• draining
• undramatic
• unsensational
• earthbound
• pedantic
• aseptic
• bothersome
• inanimate
• ordinary
• fatiguing
• dispiriting
• debilitating
• vapid
• discouraging
• common
• unexceptional
• tepid
• commonplace
• cumbersome
• pleasureless
• disheartening
• enervating
• suspenseless
• demoralizing
• unnewsworthy
• unsurprising
• wearing
• plodding
• pokey
• poky
• lumbering
• longsome
• palling
• enfeebling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• interesting
• wonderful
• intriguing
• marvellous
• wondrous
• involving
• spectacular
• exciting
• marvelous
• surprising
• riveting
• amazing
• engrossing
• engaging
• awesome
• sensational
• fabulous
• astonishing
• exhilarating
• absorbing
• gripping
• inspiring
• amusing
• astounding
• breathtaking
• thrilling
• entertaining
• stimulating
• charming
• rousing
• energizing
• electrifying
• attractive
• alluring
• poignant
• stirring
• fascinating
• enchanting
• enlivening
• moving
• animating
• invigorating
• beguiling
• enthralling
• bewitching
• entrancing
• touching
• rip-roaring
• eye-opening
• galvanizing
• attracting
• hair-raising
• suspenseful
• diverting
• provocative
• tantalizing
• captivating
• spellbinding
• mesmerizing
• arresting

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective dreary contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dreary are bleak, cheerless, desolate, dismal, and gloomy. While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

When might bleak be a better fit than dreary?

The meanings of bleak and dreary largely overlap; however, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

When can cheerless be used instead of dreary?

While in some cases nearly identical to dreary, cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

Where would desolate be a reasonable alternative to dreary?

The words desolate and dreary can be used in similar contexts, but desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

In what contexts can dismal take the place of dreary?

The words dismal and dreary are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

When could gloomy be used to replace dreary?

In some situations, the words gloomy and dreary are roughly equivalent. However, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dreary

The film careens between a dreary sludge of despair and eventual heart-palpitating nightmare, Grace caught in a mercurial storm of her own moods without ballast and unable to be understood by those around her. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 May 2025

After all, who doesn’t want to soak up the sunshine after months of gray, dreary skies? —Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 15 May 2025

The Giants keep this slugfest close on a cold, dreary, rainy day in East Rutherford against J.J. McCarthy, whom Schoen passed on in the 2024 draft. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 15 May 2025

Maybe even ahead of schedule: an unexpected perk of flying semi-private is that your flight can depart early if all the passengers are present, giving you more time to soak up a Nantucket afternoon—even if that afternoon is a dreary introduction to the island’s nickname, The Gray Lady. —Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2025