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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in depressing
causing unhappiness
decided to see a professional counselor in order to save their dreary marriage
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3
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
another dreary social event to suffer through
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dreary
The eye test likely was enough to diagnose what this Heat team, at 37-45, is lacking heading into a dreary 9-10 elimination play-in game at Chicago on Wednesday and an offseason that could begin as early as Thursday.
—
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Federal employees are not used to being the protagonists of any story, especially a story as dreary as this.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2025
Consumers who cut back on entertainment spending in a dreary economic environment may view video game outlays as too essential to sacrifice, instead trimming elsewhere.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 4 Apr. 2025
The dreary outlook is pushing analysts to take a more bearish stance on the U.S. economy in the shorter term.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreary
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Federal employees are not used to being the protagonists of any story, especially a story as dreary as this.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2025
Consumers who cut back on entertainment spending in a dreary economic environment may view video game outlays as too essential to sacrifice, instead trimming elsewhere.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 4 Apr. 2025
The dreary outlook is pushing analysts to take a more bearish stance on the U.S. economy in the shorter term.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreary
Adjective
-
This bleak vision of Hollywood makes for a fascinating backdrop.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
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But Trump and his aides are now actively trying to impede this reporting and intimidate news outlets, creating a bleak backdrop to the UN’s recognition of Saturday as World Press Freedom Day.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
3 May 2025
Adjective
-
They are already relegated to the Championship with five games to play and could break club records after a desperately depressing campaign.—
Rob Tanner,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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Editor’s picks An hour of episodic television is usually breech-birthed in a depressing Hollywood conference room filled with dyspeptic writers arguing over lines as the space fills up with the smell of fear, body odor, and Asian fusion takeout.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
No more boring, irrelevant training modules—this is learning at the speed of work.—
Lisa Bodell,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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Some of this may happen under cover of darkness, but much of it happens in the open, under cover of arcane technocracy or boring bureaucracy.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This Georgia Rain style has a dark brown finish with distressing and burnishing for an antique appearance.—
Ali Faccenda,
People.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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The bigger screen sizes each sit on two flat, narrow feet that are dark gray metal.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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If my random and unscientific survey of some French opinion at all represents the nation’s as a whole, then the debut of Donald Trump’s America has left some French triste — a bit sad, even brokenhearted, and also wary and vigilant.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2025
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Her story is beautiful and sad, heartwarming and devastating.—
American Booksellers Association,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
Adjective
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View 6 Images Reading and writing on regular tablets can be tiring for your eyes, which is where E Ink can help.—
Paul Ridden,
New Atlas,
20 Mar. 2025
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Ultimately, many on the internet have identified this week as a particularly tiring one for Black K-pop fans.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The report tracks a decline in social connections—especially among young people—and shows that half of adults are lonely, linking it to billions of dollars in health care costs.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
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Ruth Buzzi, who was so hilarious as the lonely spinster Gladys Ormphby, the lady who swung her handbag as a lethal weapon, on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, has died.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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Kenney-Silver delivers a touchingly nuanced performance as Anne, balanced on the fine line between sad as in devastated and sad as in pathetic.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
1 May 2025
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Marathon needs to be given every possible chance to succeed and making Bungie crunch to fix things and throwing it into the wolves as a fall release (one that’s literally on the same day as Borderlands 4, mind you) would be a pathetic excuse for support.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dreary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreary. Accessed 12 May. 2025.
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