dreariness

noun

Definition of drearinessnext
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits my own dreariness seemed to match the dismal weather we were having

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dreariness Jonestown afflicted Naipaul’s vision, his way of deciphering not just political manias but the dreariness of urban life, the perpetual doom of the nuclear-arms race. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026 Days shorten, shadows lengthen, and the cold and dreariness of winter return. — Thomas A. Dubois, The Conversation, 17 June 2026 Valentine’s Day is like a sweet little respite from February dreariness. — Rebecca Norris, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreariness
  1. sadness
  2. depression
  3. melancholy
  4. mournfulness
  5. gloom
Noun
  • Beat shows how so many of the sounds that were prevalent in the mid-’90s contained a unique, end-of-the century sadness.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
  • People can experience grief, sadness, relief, conflict or combinations of these emotions after any pregnancy outcome.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • The initiative’s goal is by 2030 to have empowered 3 million people to recognize the early signs of anxiety and depression, and take steps toward helping those.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • In addition to fentanyl, toxicology tests detected alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax; the muscle relaxant methocarbamol; and quetiapine, a medication primarily used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and, in some cases, depression.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of depression
Noun
  • The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • On the one hand, there’s a fascination with collective joy and the forms of vernacular invention that aspire to it; on the other, there’s an underlying melancholy that points to the inevitability of isolation, an epistemology of loneliness.
    — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of melancholy
Noun
  • Power Ballad should be breezy and fun, with that twist of mournfulness that Carney is always so adept at pulling off.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 May 2026
Definition of mournfulness
Noun
  • On Monday morning, however, a visible veil of grief and gloom took over the previous sheen.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • And neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night can save you now….
    — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of gloom

Browse Nearby Words

drearily
dreariness
dreary
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Cite this Entry

“Dreariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreariness. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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