monotony

/məˈnɒtəni/ (bre, ipa) · /məˈnɑːtəni/ (ame, ipa) · /mə-ˈnä-tə-nē -ˈnät-nē/ (ame, mw)

monotony — noun

1. the quality of being boring and unchanging because things stay the same over a l

1.名詞B2
釋義

the quality of being boring and unchanging because things stay the same over a long period, without any interesting variation

例句

Chen Wei escaped the monotony of his daily routine by taking a new street to work each day.

escape the monotony of + noun phrase

The monotony of packing boxes for eight hours made Fatima look for a new job.

the monotony of [repetitive activity]

同義詞
  • tedium

    more formal and slightly stronger; focuses on the wearying effect of long, slow repetition

  • sameness

    simpler and more direct; describes the fact of things being the same without the emotional weight

  • repetitiveness

    neutral and descriptive; names the quality of happening many times in the same way

  • dullness

    broader; can describe a person, colour, event, or situation, not just repetitive routines

反義詞
  • variety

    the presence of different types, changes, or interesting elements

  • diversity

    more formal than variety; suggests rich differences across a broader range

文法句型

the monotony of [something]

break / escape / relieve + the monotony

用法筆記

Monotony is uncountable and typically follows the pattern 'the monotony of [something]'. Common verb collocations include 'break', 'escape', 'relieve', and 'add to'. The word focuses on the emotional experience of boredom or weariness caused by repetition — not on the repetition itself.

常見錯誤

❌I am bored by the monotony.
✅The monotony of my daily commute is making me bored.
💡Monotony is not a feeling you have; it is the quality of a situation that causes the feeling of boredom.

2. the quality of having the same sound, pitch, or rhythm without any change in ton

2.名詞C1
釋義

the quality of having the same sound, pitch, or rhythm without any change in tone, making it hard to stay interested or alert

例句

The teacher's voice had a flat monotony that made it hard for the students to stay awake.

flat monotony — describing a voice lacking expression

Kenji played rain sounds to cover the monotony of the beeping machines in the lab.

同義詞
  • flatness

    specifically describes a voice or sound lacking emotional range and pitch variation

  • uniformity

    more neutral; describes technical sameness of sound without the negative judgement

  • droning

    suggests a low, continuous, monotonous sound that is especially irritating or sleep-inducing

反義詞
  • variation

    changes in pitch, tone, or rhythm that make sound interesting

  • modulation

    more technical term for controlled changes in pitch or tone in speech or music

文法句型

the monotony of [voice / tone / rhythm / beat]

vocal / rhythmic monotony

用法筆記

This sense is narrower than sense 1 — it describes sound specifically, not situations in general. It often appears in contexts of speech delivery (a lecturer's flat tone), background noise (a constant hum), or musical performance (an unchanging beat). Distinguish from sense 1: if the repetition is a sound pattern, use this sense; if it is a repeated activity or routine, use sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌The singer's voice had a beautiful monotony.
✅The singer's voice had a beautiful richness, full of variation.
💡Monotony in sound is almost always negative; it implies boring, flat, or sleep-inducing lack of change.