dreary

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English

Etymology

From Middle English drery, from Old English drēoriġ (“dreary, sad, sorrowful, mournful, pensive, causing grief, cruel, horrid, grievous, bloody, blood-stained, gory, glorious”), from Proto-Germanic *dreuzagaz (“bloody”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreus- (“to break, break off, crumble”), equivalent to drear +‎ -y. Cognate with Dutch treurig (“sad, gloomy”), Low German trurig (“sad”), German traurig (“sad, sorrowful, mournful”), Old Norse dreyrigr (“bloody”). Related to Old English drēor (“blood, falling blood”), Old English drysmian (“to become gloomy”).

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GA" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈdɹɪɹi/
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈdɹɪəɹi/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪəɹi, -ɪɹi

Adjective

dreary (comparative drearier or more dreary, superlative dreariest or most dreary)

  1. Drab; dark, colorless, or cheerless.
    It had rained for three days straight, and the dreary weather dragged the townspeople's spirits down.
    Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary...
    • 1818, Mary Shelley, chapter V, in Frankenstein, volume 1:
      It was on a dreary night of November, that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils.
  2. (obsolete) Grievous, dire; appalling.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

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