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boring

boring

721 1.0
Not interesting and making you feel tired or impatient
  • adjective
  • /ˈbɔːrɪŋ/
translation icon : aburrido
  • The lecture was so boring that many students fell asleep.
  • find it boring
  • become boring
  • get boring

I hope it was not too boring and OK.

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Examples

  • I mean, the box is boring, the product's boring.

  • By reputation, Singapore is one of the most boring places in the world.

    Academic text (1992)
  • That would be the most boring thing I can imagine.

  • It's very useful, how boring it is to be rich.

  • I know it sounds pretty boring, but actually, he does some pretty cool stuff.

  • I remember how boring that was when I was your age.

    Academic text (2015)
  • For many students, history is just a long, boring parade of people long dead who have nothing.

    Academic text (2011)
  • How can we make a boring topic into an interesting topic?

    Academic text (2015)
  • Yet this was the most boring panel I've ever been on.

  • Oh, Crassus, it's so boring.

Synonyms

dull
vsboring
182 1.3

Not interesting or lively

adds that this lack makes people feel tired or impatient
tedious
vsboring
87 4.4

Boring and repetitive, making you feel mentally tired

is not always long or repetitive but still makes one impatient
dreary
vsboring
44 3.8

A gloomy, boring time that makes you feel sad or tired

is simply uninteresting and makes people impatient
tiresome
vsboring
37 4.1

Making you bored, annoyed, or mentally tired

covers the simple lack of interest and possible impatience
bland
vsboring
31 2.8

A thing that has no strong character and few interesting features

adds that the plainness often causes tiredness or impatience
lackluster
vsboring
  • US
30 6.1

Dull and showing little energy

is the basic lack of interest that also makes one impatient
tiring
vsboring
25 1.0

Making you feel tired after a lot of activity

is focused on lack of interest and the impatience that follows
drab
vsboring
23 4.2

Not bright or colorful and not lively

is the general not interesting sense that also tires people
uninteresting
vsboring
20 1.4

Not exciting and likely to make people bored

is the more casual sense that also causes impatience or slight tiredness
tame
vsboring
20 3.7

Not exciting or interesting

is stronger, making people tired and impatient
lifeless
vsboring
19 3.6

Without energy or interest and making people feel bored

is the simpler absence of interest that can cause impatience
mind-numbing
vsboring
  • Informal
14 6.5

So boring that you stop paying attention

is similar but usually less extreme in causing mental shutdown
uninspired
vsboring
14 4.0

Not having new or interesting ideas

is broader, covering plain lack of interest and impatience
monotonous
vsboring
14 5.3

Something that is boring because it has no variety

is used when lack of interest comes from other causes
humdrum
vsboring
9 6.5

Not exciting and having little variety

is broader, describing any lack of interest or impatience
uninspiring
vsboring
7 3.5

Not interesting or exciting

is the simple uninteresting sense that may also tire listeners
irksome
vsboring
6 7.4

Making you feel annoyed or bored

is mainly about lack of interest rather than active irritation
ho-hum
vsboring
5 8.1

Not interesting and making you feel bored

is the straightforward term that can sound more neutral
unexciting
vsboring
3 3.2

Not interesting or exciting

is the common descriptor that also notes tired impatience
wearisome
vsboring
2 7.0

Makes you feel tired or bored because it is repetitive

may be dull without necessarily creating strong physical tiredness
deadening
vsboring
1 6.9

Making something feel very dull and boring

is the basic lack of interest without stressing energy loss
bleh
vsboring
  • Informal
1 9.3

Feeling bored, tired, and not interested

is the straightforward description of something that causes impatience
unstimulating
vsboring
5.1

Does not interest, excite, or make people feel energetic

is the everyday sense that also implies impatience or tiredness
disinteresting
vsboring
5.8

Making people feel bored

is the common feeling of not being interesting and getting impatient
boresome
vsboring
  • Archaic
6.8

Causes people to lose interest because it is dull

is the everyday lack of interest often with slight impatience
nonchallenging
vsboring
4.0

Boring and not interesting to think about or feel

is the broader not interesting sense that also tires or bores
unarousing
vsboring
5.6

Not causing excitement or interest

is the usual lack of interest that can also induce impatience
dullish
vsboring
3.7

Not bright in color and not very interesting

is the stronger plain lack of interest that also causes impatience
8.6

Very boring and hard to pay attention to

is the neutral term meaning not interesting and causing impatience
unstirring
vsboring
7.2

Not causing strong feelings or interest

is more active in causing impatience and tiredness

Antonyms

1.0

Attracting attention because it is new, exciting, or makes you think

1.0

Making people feel very interested and eager

1 3.9

To make someone feel more awake and interested

Compounds

9.6

A large machine that spins big metal parts so a tool can cut and drill them

How Boring

mind-numbing
  • Informal
14 6.5
tedious
87 4.4
boring
721 1.0
dull
182 1.3
unremarkable
20 3.5

Surface Forms

boring positive
boringer comparative
boringest superlative

Morphology

boring = bore (transparent) = bore + ing

Standard participial adjective formed from 'bore' + '-ing'; meaning 'causing boredom' follows directly.

Etymology

Boring meaning 'not interesting' comes from the verb bore, which once meant 'to make a hole' and later came to mean 'to make someone feel tired or dull'. So a boring thing is one that wears you down and makes you lose interest.