dreary

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj

Drab; dark, colorless, or cheerless.
Grievous, dire; appalling.

noun

A dreary person or thing.

Pronunciation

/ˈdɹɪəɹi/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-deary.wav /ˈdɹɪɹi/ en-us-dreary.ogg /ˈdɹɪɚi/ /ˈdɹiɹi/ /ˈdɹiɹɪ/ /ˈdɹiɹe/ /ˈdɹiəɹi/ /ˈdɹɛːɹi/

Word forms

dreary drearier more dreary dreariest most dreary drearies

Etymology

From Middle English drery, from Old English drēoriġ (“sad”), from Proto-Germanic *dreuzagaz (“bloody”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrews- (“to break, break off, crumble”), equivalent to drear + -y. Cognate with Dutch treurig (“sad, gloomy”), Low German trurig (“sad”), German traurig (“sad, sorrowful, mournful”), Old Norse dreyrigr (“bloody”). Related to Old English drēor (“blood, falling blood”), Old English drysmian (“to become gloomy”).

Synonyms

bleak gloomy cheerless comfortless dark morose depressing desolate dire disconsolate dismal doleful dolesome drear drearisome dreary dreich forlorn gayless gray gloomsome grim joyless lack-laughter lugubrious melancholy mirthless miserable no joke saturnine solemn somber sombre spiritless sullen sunless uncheerful uncheery unhappy unmerry wintry woeful bland colourless dim dingy dull faint lackluster leaden muddy sad sober uncolorful unholiday wan

Derived words

drear drearihead drearihood drearily dreariment dreariness drearisome

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