Monotony
/məˈnɑːtəni/
nounB2
Definition
Monotony is when something stays the same for a long time without change, making it feel boring or tiring. It often describes situations, tasks, or sounds that do not change and cause people to lose interest or feel tired.
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See It in Action
A state of boring sameness or dull repetition
- •The monotony of his job made him want to quit.
- •She felt tired of the monotony in her daily routine.
- •The long lecture was full of monotony and made everyone sleepy.
Lack of variety in sound or activity causing boredom
- •The monotony of the machine’s noise was annoying.
- •Listening to the monotony of the same song over and over bored her.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "monotony" like "boring" (A1 word), but more about the same thing happening again and again without any difference.
- ✓Picture a long, straight road with no turns or changes — it looks the same all the way and feels dull.
- ✓It's the feeling when you do one thing every day without anything new, like eating the same food every meal.
- ✓Sounds like "mo-NOT-o-ny" → imagine someone saying "no" to variety, only one thing repeated.
- ✓Think of a teacher reading the same sentence in the same voice over and over, making students sleepy.
- ✓NOT like "variety" (many different things), monotony means no variety at all.
- ✓NOT like "repetition" (doing again), monotony focuses on the boring feeling caused by repetition.
- ✓NOT like "routine" (regular schedule), monotony is the unpleasant part of routine that feels dull.
Try Other Words
- •Tedium: the state of being very boring (Use when emphasizing how long and tiresome something is)
- •Routine: usual way of doing things (Use when focusing on regular habits, not always boring)
- •Repetition: doing something again and again (Use when focusing on the action, not the feeling of boredom)
- •Sameness: lack of difference or variety (Use when emphasizing no change in appearance or action)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "mono-" (one, single) + "-tony" (from Greek "tonos" meaning tone or sound, extended to mean tension or stretch)
- •Etymology: From Greek "monotonia," meaning a single tone or unchanging sound
- •Historical development: Originally used to describe a single unchanging musical tone, later extended to mean any boring sameness
- •Modern usage: Used to describe boring sameness in tasks, sounds, or situations that cause dullness or tiredness
Reflect & Connect
•Can monotony sometimes be good, like helping us focus, or is it always negative?
•How do people try to break monotony in their daily lives, and what works best?
Fill in the blanks
1.The monotony of the long meeting made everyone feel ___ and ___.
2.She tried to break the monotony by ___ new activities during the weekend.
3.Unlike excitement, monotony causes a ___ feeling because everything stays the same.
4.The sound of the machine created a ___ monotony that was hard to ignore.
5.People often feel monotony when they do the same task ___ without any change.
6.To avoid monotony, it helps to add ___ or variety to your daily routine.
7.While routine can be helpful, too much monotony may lead to ___ or loss of interest.