monotony

noun

mo·​not·​o·​ny mə-ˈnä-tə-nē 

-ˈnät-nē

1

: tedious sameness

the monotony of the landscape

the monotony of prison life

fixing a variety of foods to avoid monotony

—SHAPE

2

: sameness of tone or sound

the soft monotony of her voice

Synonyms

• humdrum
• monotone
• monotonousness
• sameness

Examples of monotony in a Sentence

She hated the monotony of the job.

The brief storm was a relief from the monotony of the hot summer afternoon.

Recent Examples on the Web

It’s meant to free participants from the monotony and humiliation of wage work. —Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024

This simple exercise breaks through the monotony and makes the lesson stick. —Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

Mike receives an unexpected break from the monotony when Roxanne walks into the bar looking for him. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 15 Aug. 2024

Thankfully, ceremony director Thomas Jolly broke up the monotony of the two-and-a-half-hour boat processional. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 26 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin monotonia "sameness of tone," borrowed from Greek monotonía (attested only in the work of quintillian), from monótonos "lacking variation in pitch, monotone entry 2" + -ia -y entry 2

First Known Use

1636, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

monotony

noun

mo·​not·​o·​ny mə-ˈnät-ᵊn-ē 

-ˈnät-nē

plural monotonies

1

: sameness of tone or sound

2

: lack of variety

especially : a lack of change that causes boredom