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humdrum

humdrum

1 6.7
A boring state with little variety or excitement
  • noun
  • /ˈhʌmˌdrʌm/
translation icon : monotonía
  • Visions of El Dorado dance in his head, better than today's humdrum.

Examples

  • Escaping the humdrum is futile anyway right now.

    Blog text (31)
  • The humdrum, the routine, the nothing spectacular happens around here.

    Blog text (20)
  • We travel to be able to encounter day-to-day lives and places distinct from ours, to flee the humdrum and discover the spectacular.

    Blog text (30)
  • It ignores how humdrum, boring, deeply sad most people's lives are in Hollywood, and it ignores how sad fame is in general.

  • After months of routine, he felt trapped in a constant state of humdrum with no new experiences.

  • The endless meetings created a sense of humdrum that made everyone feel uninspired.

  • She longed for an adventure to break the humdrum of her daily life in the office.

Synonyms

boredom
vshumdrum
85 1.3

A feeling of being tired and restless when you have nothing to do

is the state caused by lacking variety rather than a personal weary feeling
monotony
vshumdrum
14 5.5

A boring feeling when things are the same again and again

is the state of feeling bored because of lacking variety rather than only repetition
sameness
vshumdrum
10 4.2

A lack of change or variety in daily life

is the bored state caused by repeated similarity and lack of variety
tedium
vshumdrum
10 6.8

Feeling bored from doing the same thing for a long time

is the bored feeling tied to lacking variety rather than only length
ennui
vshumdrum
9 9.0

A tired, unhappy feeling from having nothing to do

is the general bored state from lack of variety rather than inner listless dissatisfaction
boringness
vshumdrum
2 3.8

A state that makes you lose interest

is the state of being bored from lack of variety not general uninterest
mundanity
vshumdrum
1 7.2

A state of being ordinary and not interesting

is the bored state from lacking variety rather than just everyday ordinariness
dreariness
vshumdrum
1 6.2

A dull, gloomy feeling that makes things seem not interesting

is the plain bored state from lacking variety rather than gloomy sadness
dullness
vshumdrum
1 3.7

Something that is not interesting or exciting

is the state of being bored due to limited variety rather than mere plainness
vapidity
vshumdrum
1 9.3

A lack of energy and interest in speech or writing

is the bored state caused by lacking variety rather than mere emptiness
jadedness
vshumdrum
1 7.5

A feeling of being tired and bored after having too much of something

is boredom caused by lacking variety rather than by overexposure
insipidity
vshumdrum
1 9.6

Lack of flavor or interest that makes something dull

is the general bored state from lacking variety rather than mere flatness
mundaneness
vshumdrum
6.7

A state of being ordinary and not exciting

is the state of boredom caused by lack of variety rather than mere ordinariness
tiresomeness
vshumdrum
5.6

A boring feeling caused by something that lasts a long time

is the bored state from lack of variety rather than long slow duration
insipidness
vshumdrum
8.2

Being dull and without strong taste or interest

is the bored state from little variety rather than simple blandness
vapidness
vshumdrum
8.4

A feeling that something is dull and boring

is the bored state from lacking variety rather than simple lack of depth
blahs
vshumdrum
  • Informal
8.2

A feeling of being bored and not wanting to do anything

is the bored state from lacking variety rather than a mild low mood

Antonyms

582 1.3

A group of different kinds of things

434 1.0

A strong feeling of happiness and eagerness, or something that causes it

How Exciting

boredom
85 1.3
tedium
10 6.8
humdrum
1 6.7
dullness
1 3.7
monotony
14 5.5

Surface Forms

humdrum singular
humdrums plural

Morphology

humdrum = hum + drum (opaque) = hum + drum

Although composed of the words 'hum' and 'drum', the meaning 'dull, monotonous' is idiomatic and not directly predictable from the component meanings to an average learner.

Etymology

Humdrum probably comes from repeating the simple sounds hum and drum. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine the same low 'hum' or steady 'drum' again and again, which feels 'dull' and without change, so humdrum means a boring state with no variety.