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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
New Orleans has lost nine of its last 10 games, and if Missi misses any significant time, things could get even more dreary for the struggling franchise.
—
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
Job markets in the Bay Area and California shed thousands of jobs in February, a decline that followed losses in January in a dreary start for the statewide economy in 2025.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, others have taken issue with the casting of two Australian actors as the leads in the adaptation of a book synonymous with the dreary, gothic English countryside.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
Even in the dreary winter months, the splash of color will add a bit of cheer to your travels.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreary
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
Job markets in the Bay Area and California shed thousands of jobs in February, a decline that followed losses in January in a dreary start for the statewide economy in 2025.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, others have taken issue with the casting of two Australian actors as the leads in the adaptation of a book synonymous with the dreary, gothic English countryside.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
Even in the dreary winter months, the splash of color will add a bit of cheer to your travels.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreary
Adjective
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The coming-of-age story finds a new generation of young women in Gilead, grappling with the bleak future that awaits them.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2025
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Stocks had sold off sharply last Friday, amid growing uncertainty on U.S. trade policy and a bleak inflation outlook.—
Amala Balakrishner,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Some people thought that was too depressing or whatever.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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Many learned the depressing answer only when trying to scan badges and getting rejected by security, which treated them more or less like trespassers.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Anything that isn’t someone bleeding out is boring to them, that kind of thing.—
Maria Fontoura,
Rolling Stone,
5 Apr. 2025
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But here, it’s all viewed through a workplace-comedy format, which captures the kind of boring ordinariness of typical medical care while also getting at some of the big frustrations of understaffing.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Page Turner sees the Page family consumed by the literary world — each in their own way — as its dark, foundational secret runs the risk of exposure.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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While the app only went dark for a matter of a day or so in the U.S., it was removed from the Apple and Google app stores for weeks, because federal law could have seen Apple or Google penalized for distributing it.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Yet, whatever the deal means for Paul, Weiss, its acquiescence to Trump marks a sad day for the legal profession—or what once was a profession, and is now just another business.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2025
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Kwong grew up hearing stories of every kind about Manzanar—scary, sad, funny and infuriating.—
Rachel Ng,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Of course, going from shows to pickleball classes to after-hours jam sessions at B.B. King’s Blues Club can be tiring.—
DeMarco Williams,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Sanchez added a selfie from bed, sharing how tiring her pregnancy is.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This keeps us lonely at a time when the loneliness public health crisis is at an all-time high.—
Priya Vulchi,
Time,
9 Apr. 2025
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Ro, now a police officer, needs help investigating the death 22 years earlier of their classmate, Ricky, killed in a hit-and-run on a lonely county road.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Hechinger is the perfect choice for the role, bringing just the right of optimism and obliviousness to an endearingly pathetic dork who finds the opportunity to be heroic.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2025
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Successful long ago, Shelley is no longer a selling Machine of any sort, and mostly just begs for a break in comically desperate appeals that ping-pong from belligerent to pathetic.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dreary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreary. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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