weary 1 of 2

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as in tiring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest a weary march through a lot of boring facts and figures

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

weary

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word weary distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of weary are exhaust, fatigue, jade, and tire. While all these words mean "to make or become unable or unwilling to continue," weary stresses tiring until one is unable to endure more of the same thing.

wearied of the constant arguing

When is it sensible to use exhaust instead of weary?

The meanings of exhaust and weary largely overlap; however, exhaust implies complete draining of strength by hard exertion.

shoveling snow exhausted him

In what contexts can fatigue take the place of weary?

The synonyms fatigue and weary are sometimes interchangeable, but fatigue suggests great lassitude from excessive strain or undue effort.

fatigued by the day's chores

Where would jade be a reasonable alternative to weary?

While the synonyms jade and weary are close in meaning, jade suggests the loss of all freshness and eagerness.

appetites jaded by overindulgence

When is tire a more appropriate choice than weary?

Although the words tire and weary have much in common, tire implies a draining of one's strength or patience.

the long ride tired us out

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of weary
Adjective
The verse resumes, and the band soldiers on, Lenker’s perseverant guitar solo howling with the weary relief of a shipwrecked sailor spotting land. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025 Snapdragons are weary, the tomato plants look a bit messy, and the pumpkin vines have fully taken over instead of staying in their corner of the garden. Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
Johnny works 40 minutes past one and goes to bed wearied by the Sisyphean task. Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025 Amid all this morphing, what has stayed constant is that COVID has been, in one way or another, wearying in a bone-deep way. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for weary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weary
Adjective
  • Susan has lifted us up for 50 years; and her arms have not grown tired.
    Scott Simon, NPR, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Discard the tired-looking center and separate clumps from the outer edges by hand or use a sharp knife or pruning saw.
    Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Now, imagine how good Teslas could be if Musk apparently wasn’t so bored with making them.
    Patrick George, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Your friend’s dog is probably just as bored as yours, so set up a puppy playdate to tucker them out.
    Kelsey Monstrola, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Without a strict hierarchy or single decision-maker, our process can sometimes be slow, messy, or even tiring.
    Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Too often, developments of this size that pop up on virgin ground get lost to boring cookie-cutter street scaping and architecture.
    The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The approach is complemented by heavy use of the Estevez brothers’ childhood Super 8 movies, genre-bending DIY productions that Charlie notes often bore similarities to the movies their father was making at the time.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The photo released shows what appears to be a man wearing a largely black outfit with an American flag on his shirt, a black cap, and black sunglasses.
    Connor Greene, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Posing next to Colman Domingo and Salma Hayek Pinault (who wore an elegant black Balenciaga suit dress), Moore’s glitzy look shone.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Gaga ended the performance like an exhausted wind-up doll, caged again physically, but never spiritually.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The apparently recent footage showed two hostages -- Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel -- looking gaunt and exhausted while being driven around Gaza City.
    WAFAA SHURAFA, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Farming takes so long and is so boring, some of us said.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The Clark County Fire Department said that tunnel boring operations had been temporarily halted at the site pending an ongoing accident investigation.
    Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Then eventually, the fish starts to tire out.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • So people shouldn’t swim against the current, which puts them at risk of tiring out.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Weary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weary. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

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