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humdrum

[ huhm-druhm ]

/ ˈhʌmˌdrʌm /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR humdrum ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

lacking variety; boring; dull: a humdrum existence.

noun

humdrum character or routine; monotony.

monotonous or tedious talk.

Archaic. a dull, boring person.

Origin of humdrum

1545–55; earlier humtrum, rhyming compound based on hum

SYNONYMS FOR humdrum

1 tedious, routine, mundane, tiresome.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR humdrum ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM humdrum

hum·drum·ness, noun

Words nearby humdrum

humboldt peak, humbucker, humbug, humbuggery, humdinger, humdrum, hume, hume's law, hume, david, humectant, humeral

Example sentences from the Web for humdrum

But for some teens ISIS seems to symbolize power and purpose, a great drama promising deliverance from the humdrum.

How ISIS’s Colorado Girls Were Caught |Michael Daly |October 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Most stars in the Milky Way have humdrum lives, tracing slow predictable orbits around the galactic center.

The Hypervelocity Star That’s Being Booted from the Galaxy |Matthew R. Francis |May 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Three things stand out in this simultaneously remarkable and humdrum bit of film.

Anne Frank’s Amsterdam |Russell Shorto |October 12, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
After all, who would want to watch a show about the humdrum life of a high school chemistry teacher with decent health insurance?

The Connection Between Obamacare and ‘Breaking Bad’ |Jamelle Bouie |September 29, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

It requires months—years, even—of archival research and humdrum detective work.

Old Nazis May Be Dying Off But Nazi Hunting Continues to Thrive |Guy Walters |August 14, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
He regarded their knowledge as humdrum, and it did not disturb him that they looked on his acquisitions as worthless.

Peggy Raymond's Vacation |Harriet L. (Harriet Lummis) Smith
Imagine the commonplace liver of a humdrum existence being received into ghostland.

The Angel and the Author - and Others |Jerome K. Jerome
Their peculiar talents are hidden by the obscurity of humdrum, honest labor.

The Little Lady of Lagunitas |Richard Henry Savage
No association is so humdrum that it cannot be quickened into life, no matter how long it has been meagerly taking its course.

The Good Housekeeping Marriage Book |Various
Nothing could be commonplace or humdrum when done by One with such an uncommon spirit.

Quiet Talks about Jesus |S. D. Gordon

British Dictionary definitions for humdrum

humdrum

/ (ˈhʌmˌdrʌm) /

adjective

ordinary; dull

noun

a monotonous routine, task, or person

Derived forms of humdrum

humdrumness, noun

Word Origin for humdrum

C16: rhyming compound, probably based on hum