humdrum definition |Dictionary.com

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6 dictionary results for: humdrum

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

hum·drum

[huhm-druhm] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	lacking variety; boring; dull: a humdrum existence.

–noun

2.	humdrum character or routine; monotony.

3.	monotonous or tedious talk.

4.	Archaic. a dull, boring person.

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

]

—Related forms

humdrumness, noun

—Synonyms 1. tedious, routine, mundane, tiresome.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

hum·drum   (hŭm'drŭm') Pronunciation Key
adj.   Lacking variety or excitement; dull. See Synonyms at boring, dull.

n.   Monotonous talk or routine.

[Probably from hum.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
humdrum

"routine, monotonous," 1553, probably a reduplication of hum.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

humdrum
adjective
1.	not challenging; dull and lacking excitement; "an unglamorous job greasing engines" [syn: commonplace]
2.	tediously repetitious or lacking in variety; "a humdrum existence; all work and no play"; "nothing is so monotonous as the sea"
noun
1.	the quality of wearisome constancy, routine, and lack of variety; "he had never grown accustomed to the monotony of his work"; "he was sick of the humdrum of his fellow prisoners"; "he hated the sameness of the food the college served" [syn: monotony]