TOP

Definition of dreary adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

dreary

adjective
 
/ˈdrɪəri/
 
/ˈdrɪri/
(comparative drearier, superlative dreariest)
jump to other results
  1. that makes you feel sad; not bright or interesting synonym dull
    • a dreary winter’s day
    • a dreary film
    • a long and dreary journey on the train
    Extra Examples
    • Lunch was a pretty dreary affair.
    • a dark and dreary February morning
    • his dull and dreary life
    • playing the same dreary old tune
    • streets full of dreary little shops
    • The house looked grim and dreary in the faint damp rain.
    Topics Feelingsc2
    Oxford Collocations DictionaryDreary is used with these nouns:
    • morning
    • room
    • winter
    See full entry
    Word OriginOld English drēorig ‘gory, cruel’, also ‘melancholy’, from drēor ‘gore’, of Germanic origin; related to German traurig ‘sorrowful’, also to drowsy, and probably to drizzle.
See dreary in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
trait
noun
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 5000
B2
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day