tedium

noun

te·​di·​um ˈtē-dē-əm 

1

: the quality or state of being tedious : tediousness

also : boredom

2

: a tedious period of time

Synonyms

• blahs
• boredom
• doldrums
• ennui
• listlessness
• restlessness
• weariness

Examples of tedium in a Sentence

The movie was three hours of tedium.

I took a day off to relieve the tedium of work.

Recent Examples on the Web

According to behavioral science experts, many people who seek out extreme conditions may be motivated by desires to challenge the limits of their physical and psychological abilities, escape personal problems or everyday tedium, or simply for the thrill. —Yahya Salem, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024

Mother’s gradual transformation should give the movie a sense of movement, but because it’s held at a remove, tedium sets in. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2024

For Artaud, true culture operates through exaltation and force, an extremity of experience that breaks through the tedium and wakes us up. —Simon Critchley, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

This kind of formalist approach, cross-breeding narrative cinema and conceptual art, can be hard to maintain without slipping into tedium. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin taedium disgust, irksomeness, from taedēre to disgust, weary

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

tedium

noun

te·​di·​um ˈtēd-ē-əm 

: the quality or state of being tedious : boredom