Meaning & use
monotonousness
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Meaning
noununcountable
The quality of being boring because something never changes and has no variety.
Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural: 'the monotonousness of the work'.
Patterns
- the monotonousness of something
- the sheer monotonousness of something
The monotonousness of the factory job made many workers quit within a few months.
She complained about the monotonousness of her daily routine.
What struck me most was the monotonousness of the landscape—mile after mile of flat, empty fields.
Common combinations
- the monotonousness of the work
- He could not bear the monotonousness of the work any longer.
- sheer monotonousness
- The sheer monotonousness of the task drove them to distraction.
- the monotonousness of daily life
- The novel captures the monotonousness of daily life in a small town.
Synonyms and how they differ
- monotony
- Much more common and natural in everyday English; it means the same boring lack of variety.
- tedium
- Suggests boredom that feels long and tiring; it is a little more literary than monotonousness.
- sameness
- Focuses on lack of difference rather than the feeling of boredom.
Opposites
Word family
- monotonous adjective
- Boring because it never changes.
- monotonously adverb
- In a boring, unchanging way.
- monotony noun
- The state of being boring and unchanging; the usual noun form.
Commonly confused: monotonousness or monotony?
monotonousness vs monotony
Both mean the same, but 'monotony' is far more common. 'Monotonousness' sounds heavy and formal.
Practice
The ______ of the long train journey made everyone sleepy.
Choose one answer.
'Monotonousness' means boring lack of variety, which fits a long, dull journey. 'Monopolistic' relates to market control, 'monumental' means huge or significant, and 'monolingual' means using only one language.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “monotonousness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.