humdrum

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈhʌmˌdrʌm/ UK /ˈhʌmˌdrʌm/ See IPA manual

adj noun

Meanings

1

adj
dull, monotonous, and lacking variety

He longed to escape the humdrum routine of office life.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · dull, monotonous, and... monotonous dull tedious boring mundane tiresome dreary routine

Opposites

exciting stimulating lively varied

Etymology

A 16th-century reduplication probably based on hum, the rhyming second element drum carrying no independent meaning, conveying dull monotony.

hum onomatopoeic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

# humdrum

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** ˈhʌmˌdrʌm
**IPA (UK):** ˈhʌmˌdrʌm

## Meanings
1. dull, monotonous, and lacking variety

## Examples
- He longed to escape the humdrum routine of office life.

## Synonyms
- monotonous
- dull
- tedious
- boring
- mundane
- tiresome
- dreary
- routine

## Antonyms
- exciting
- stimulating
- lively
- varied

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: hum

## Etymology
A 16th-century reduplication probably based on hum, the rhyming second element drum carrying no independent meaning, conveying dull monotony.

## AI Etymology
Humdrum is a 16th-century reduplication probably based on hum, the rhyming second element drum carrying no independent meaning, conveying dull monotony. The etymological trail includes onomatopoeic hum. As an adjective, humdrum means dull, monotonous, and lacking variety. The uncertainty belongs to the older derivation, so the explanation should preserve alternatives rather than choosing one unsupported origin.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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humdrum

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