boring

CEFRA1

/ˈbɔː.ɹɪŋ/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
adjective
Not interesting or exciting.
02
adjective
Extra detail
A pit or hole which has been bored.

Examples

Many diets fail because they are boring.
The holiday continues to be very boring.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 5
Parts of speech: 2
Citations: 5
Synonyms: 5

Also pronounced

/ˈboɹ.ɪŋ/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

The act or process of boring holes; such practice as an area of expertise in manufacturing.
Enlarging an existing hole with a single-point cutting tool or a boring head (usually with high precision and accuracy regarding the roundness and size of the hole).
One of the fragments thrown up when something is bored or drilled.

More examples

In context

The professor's boring lecture put me to sleep.
What a boring film that was! I almost fell asleep.
fine boring with a boring head on a boring mill

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The professor's lecture was so blank that many students fell asleep.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

It is common in urban areas that a great many borings exist from prior construction work.
1992, J. Patrick Powers, Construction dewatering: new methods and applications, page 191
“Why don’t you become a Baptist preacher?” she interrupted wearily. He smiled at her briefly. Then, from the way he leaned back, adjusted his glasses, took a quick sip of martini, Ida knew she was in for a speech. Biting hard on her back teeth, she sighed and prepared to listen as little as possible. Suffocating, she mumbled, that’s what he is! And boringer than hell!
1956 September, Laura Beheler, chapter 16, in The Paper Dolls, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Company; Cambridge, Mass.: The Riverside Press, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 175
Oh, let's not spoil a good dinner with a reconcilation^([sic]) scene. We’ve hardly split up. We’ll get to be like two old people who can communicate, and nothing’s boringer than that.
1983, Peter De Vries, chapter 13, in Slouching Towards Kalamazoo, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 212
“I had the most boring day in life yesterday. I couldn’t go to work with my dad, so I went with my mom.” […] “Mine was even boringer than yours,” Kitty said. She was starting to whine, and she flipped her ponytail. She did both of those things a lot. “I didn’t get to spend that much time with my dad, either, since he’s a pilot.”
2004, Nancy Rue, “Sophie and the Scoundrels (Book 3)”, in Sophie’s Secret (Faithgirlz!; The Sophie Series, 2), Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zonderkidz, →ISBN, pages 125–126
"We've had some moments in the spotlight, and there will be more to come. But boring is good when operating railways.
2023 February 8, Paul Stephen with Howard Smith, “Elizabeth Line: "It's not job done yet"”, in RAIL, number 976, page 35

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Origin

adjective

Middle English -ynge Middle English boryng English boring Inherited from Middle English boryng (“making a hole”). By surface analysis, bore + -ing.