drabber; drabbest
2
a
: of a light olive brown color : of the color drab (see drab entry 2 sense 1a)
b
: of the dull brown color of drab (see drab entry 2 sense 2)
drably
adverb
drabness
noun
1
a
: a light olive brown
b
: a dull, lifeless, or faded appearance or quality
2
textiles
: any of various cloths of a dull brown or gray color
dressed in drabs
: a small amount
—usually used in the phrase dribs and drabs
receiving donations in dribs and drabs
plural drabs
1
: slattern
2
: a woman who engages in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay : a woman who is a sex worker
drabbed; drabbing; drabs
: to associate with sex workers
… a waster, an idler; drinking and drabbing …—
Aldous Huxley
Aldous HuxleySynonyms
Examples of drab in a Sentence
Adjective
He lives a drab life.
the new city hall promises to be another drab pile of masonry for the town
Noun (3)
in its time, this waterfront dive was decried as a den of iniquity, unfit even for the drunks and drabs who haunted it
Recent Examples on the WebLisa Wrenn, The Mercury News, 2 Oct. 2024
Hahn is never funnier than when Agatha is trying to summon some of her own swagger while forced to wear Agnes’s drab clothes—a cobra stuck in the mundane form of a hamster.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2024
To people with colorblindness, the dazzling fall foliage can look drab or muted.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
Gone are the drab furniture and dark wood of the past; now, all the guest rooms and suites invite you to recharge in classic American style with pastel tones, fresh pops of floral prints, and comfy seating and work areas.
—Katie Chang, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for drab 
Adjective
In June 2022, downtown Concord became a more colorful place when six murals brought drab buildings to life with bright depictions of wild birds, indigenous culture and futuristic landscapes, each as unique as the artist who created it.
—Lisa Wrenn, The Mercury News, 2 Oct. 2024
Hahn is never funnier than when Agatha is trying to summon some of her own swagger while forced to wear Agnes’s drab clothes—a cobra stuck in the mundane form of a hamster.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2024
To people with colorblindness, the dazzling fall foliage can look drab or muted.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
Gone are the drab furniture and dark wood of the past; now, all the guest rooms and suites invite you to recharge in classic American style with pastel tones, fresh pops of floral prints, and comfy seating and work areas.
—Katie Chang, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for drab
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drab.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near drab
Cite this Entry
“Drab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drab. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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