Monotonous Meaning
/məˈnɒtənəs/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjHaving an unvarying pitch or tone.
adjTedious, repetitious, or lacking in variety.
Sentence Examples
Listening practice tends to be monotonous.
This story is rather monotonous.
He seems to be oppressed by his monotonous daily life.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ task of repeating the same action for hours made the worker extremely bored.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She found the work of entering data into the spreadsheet to be extremely ____ and boring, as it required very little creative thought or skill.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English monotone Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ōtsos or *-otsos Latin -ōsus Old French -usbor. Middle English -ous English -ous English monotonous From monotone + -ous.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
""But my daughter—but the Lady Eveline"—said the Fleming, with some slight change in his monotonous voice, which seemed to express doubt and perplexity—"You are cruel conquerors, and—""
— 1825 June 22, [Walter Scott], chapter V, in Tales of the Crusaders. […], volume I (The Betrothed), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 95:
"[L]istening for a moment, she heard the monotonous and heavy tread of the soldier echoing through the passage."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 49:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ task of repeating the same action for hours made the worker extremely bored.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She found the work of entering data into the spreadsheet to be extremely ____ and boring, as it required very little creative thought or skill.