drab

1 of 5

adjective

drabber; drabbest
1
: characterized by dullness and monotony : cheerless
a drab life
drab industrial buildings
2
a
: of a light olive brown color : of the color drab (see drab entry 2 sense 1a)
b
: of the dull brown color of drab (see drab entry 2 sense 2)
drably adverb
drabness noun

drab

2 of 5

noun (1)

1
a
: a light olive brown
b
: a dull, lifeless, or faded appearance or quality
2
textiles : any of various cloths of a dull brown or gray color
dressed in drabs

drab

3 of 5

noun (2)

: a small amount
usually used in the phrase dribs and drabs
receiving donations in dribs and drabs

drab

4 of 5

noun (3)

plural drabs
1
2
: a woman who engages in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay : a woman who is a sex worker

drab

5 of 5

verb

drabbed; drabbing; drabs

intransitive verb

: to associate with sex workers
… a waster, an idler; drinking and drabbingAldous Huxley

Examples of drab in a Sentence

Adjective He lives a drab life. the new city hall promises to be another drab pile of masonry for the town Noun (3) in its time, this waterfront dive was decried as a den of iniquity, unfit even for the drunks and drabs who haunted it
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
After centuries of weathering and exposure, the colors seen in historical homes today can appear muted and buttoned-up, even drab. Cornelia Powers, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024 Ask it to design a striking user interface and the results are drab, says Krish Manair, an engineer at data labeling company Labelbox, who tested the tool’s web app creation skills. Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Noun
Members of the first team squad appear back at the training facilities in drips and drabs, some nursing jet lag from globetrotting flights around the world. Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for drab 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Adjective

Middle French drap cloth, from Late Latin drappus

Noun (2)

probably alteration of drib

Noun (3)

origin unknown

Verb

noun derivative of drab entry 4

First Known Use

Adjective

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Noun (1)

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

1809, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

circa 1518, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1599, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drab was circa 1518

Dictionary Entries Near drab

Cite this Entry

“Drab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drab. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

drab

1 of 2 noun
: a light olive brown

drab

2 of 2 adjective
drabber; drabbest
1
: of the color drab
2
: lacking variety and interest : dull
a drab life
drably adverb
drabness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on drab

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