tedious

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Too long, slow or repetitive to be interesting, so that it makes you tired or impatient.

   Grammar: Describes tasks, speeches or processes: a tedious job.

   Patterns

   • a tedious task
   • tedious work
   • it is tedious to do something

   Sorting the files by hand was a tedious job.

   The lecture was tedious and went on for two hours.

   It is tedious to fill in the same form again and again.

2. 2adjectivecomparabledisapproving

   Describing a person who is dull and tiring to be with because of endless, unexciting talk.

   Grammar: Applies to people and their talk: a tedious speaker.

   Patterns

   • a tedious person
   • tedious talk

   He is a tedious guest who talks about taxes all evening.

   Her tedious stories made me check my phone.

   The tedious speaker never reached his point.

Word forms

Common combinations

tedious task

Cleaning the tiny parts one by one was a tedious task.

tedious process

Getting a visa can be a tedious process.

long and tedious

The journey was long and tedious.

tedious work

Data entry is tedious work for many people.

tedious detail

The report is full of tedious detail.

Synonyms and how they differ

boring

Boring is the everyday word for anything uninteresting, whereas tedious stresses length and repetition.

monotonous

Monotonous focuses on sameness and lack of change, especially in sound or routine.

tiresome

Tiresome suggests something wearying or annoying, and it can describe a person's habits.

dull

Dull is broader and gentler, covering anything lacking excitement without necessarily being long.

Opposites

Word family

tedium noun

the state of being boring and slow

tediously adverb

in a long, boring way

tediousness noun

the quality of being tedious

Commonly confused: tedious or tiresome?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tedious”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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