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 WebJenny Nguyen-Wheatley, Outside Online, 17 Sep. 2024
Lighter shades of grey are having a moment, proving that hue is anything but drab.
—Laura Lajiness Kaupke, refinery29.com, 12 Sep. 2024
Elsewhere in Universal Language, which is debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, chickens make tracks in snow during a Canadian winter, two students try to fish a 500-rial bill from frozen ice and Rankin’s hometown of Winnipeg is turned into an otherwise drab cross-cultural hybrid.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2024
People often picture us Quakers as grim people, wearing drab clothing with stern faces.
—Maya Porter Faith Matters, arkansasonline.com, 14 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for drab 
Adjective
The vest’s mixture of lighter browns and tans blend in well with the drab colors of fall and winter everywhere.
—Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley, Outside Online, 17 Sep. 2024
Lighter shades of grey are having a moment, proving that hue is anything but drab.
—Laura Lajiness Kaupke, refinery29.com, 12 Sep. 2024
Elsewhere in Universal Language, which is debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, chickens make tracks in snow during a Canadian winter, two students try to fish a 500-rial bill from frozen ice and Rankin’s hometown of Winnipeg is turned into an otherwise drab cross-cultural hybrid.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2024
People often picture us Quakers as grim people, wearing drab clothing with stern faces.
—Maya Porter Faith Matters, arkansasonline.com, 14 Sep. 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 1 Oct. 2024.
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