Monotony Meaning
/məˈnɒtəni/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounTedium as a result of repetition or a lack of variety.
nounThe property of a monotonic function.
Sentence Examples
Art breaks the monotony of our life.
Monotony develops when you harp on the same string.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of doing the same thing every day made her feel sad and unmotivated.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
To break the ____ of her daily routine, she decided to take a different route to work and try a new coffee shop every morning.
Word Origin & History
From French monotonie, from Late Latin monotonia, from Ancient Greek μονοτονία (monotonía, “sameness of tone, monotony”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It matters little to trace the rapidity of the land journey, or the monotony of the sea voyage—alike unmarked by adventure. Robert Evelyn landed at Southampton,..."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter II, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 24:
"Yet second-hand romance and second-hand emotion are surely better than the dull, soul-killing monotony which life brings to most of the human race."
— 1907, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 1, in Through the Magic Door, archived from the original on 12 Apr 2011:
"Transform my death into a conduit
This body separate from the fear of fear
Inside a coping mechanism of monotony
I will destroy the double vision that I was forced to leave"
— 2023, “Angel Eyes”, performed by Spiritbox:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of doing the same thing every day made her feel sad and unmotivated.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
To break the ____ of her daily routine, she decided to take a different route to work and try a new coffee shop every morning.