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dreary Definition

dreary (drirē)

adjective dreari·er, dreari·est

gloomy; cheerless; depressing; dismal; dull

Etymology: ME dreri < OE dreorig, sad, orig., bloody, gory < dreor, blood < base of dreosan, to drip < IE base *dhreu-, break off > drip, drowse

dreary Related Forms

dreari·ly adverb drear·i·ness noun

dreary Synonyms

dreary

modif.

dreary Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

find: I never found the season so dreary before; but this happy meeting will make us young again.

Modifies a noun

  • inaction: She spoke in a soft, then abruptly she went by in dreary inaction.
  • suburb: You must make sure you stay close to the center, rather than banished out in the dreary suburbs.
  • winter: It was one ray of light in a dreary winter 's afternoon.
  • existence: Their pagan religions, at best, offered a dreary, shadowy existence in a dungeon like place.
  • afternoon: What a consternation of soul was mine that dreary afternoon!
  • weather: It makes such a change from the dreary winter weather!

Modifying Another Word

  • rather: A rather dreary building at the best of times.
  • somewhat: General Condition: The station is looking somewhat dreary at the moment - a repaint or, even better, rebuild would be nice.
  • otherwise: At least the dashboard is well laid out and the yellow clocks are a colorful addition to an otherwise dreary color scheme.
  • pretty: His situation in Hollywood, while eminently successful, is pretty dreary.
  • so: Winds and rain they sound so dreary Yet thou listens for my feet.
  • very: The whole thing looks drab and is very dreary and depressing, without being particularly moving.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: Sarah had lied and rebelled, but she was fun; life had never seemed dreary with her in the house.
  • look: General Condition: The station is looking somewhat dreary at the moment - a repaint or, even better, rebuild would be nice.
  • become: But running around soon becomes as dreary as running around in real life.
  • get: We may use plurals, although this can get dreary after a while.

Browse dictionary entries near dreary

  1. drear
  2. dreamy
  3. dreamscape
  4. dreamless
  5. dreamland
  6. dreaming
  7. dreamer
  8. dreamboat
  9. dream world
  10. dream up
  1. dreck
  2. dredge
  3. dredge up
  4. dree
  5. dreggy
  6. dregs
  7. dreidel
  8. Dreiser
  9. drench
  10. Drennan,William