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- pronunciation:
- dri
ri
- features:
- Word Combinations (adjective), Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| inflections: |
drearier, dreariest |
| definition: |
gloomy, sad, or dull.
Yesterday was a dreary winter day.- synonyms:
- bleak, dismal, gloomy
- antonyms:
- cheerful, scenic
- similar words:
- barren, grim, hopeless, sterile
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| related words: |
cloudy, dark, drab, dull, gloomy, grim, melancholy, overcast, somber, sullen |
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| derivations: |
drearily (adv.), dreariness (n.) |
Dreary comes from an Old English word that originally meant "gory or bloody." In time, "dreary" came to mean "horrid." By the 1600s, its meaning had softened to "gloomy."
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