monotonous

/məˈnɒtənəs/ (bre, ipa) · /məˈnɑːtənəs/ (ame, ipa) · /mə-ˈnä-tə-nəs -ˈnät-nəs/ (ame, mw)

monotonous — 形容詞

  • monotonouspositive
  • more monotonouscomparative
  • most monotonoussuperlative

1. Staying the same all the time with no interesting changes or variety, so that so

1.形容詞B2
釋義

單調乏味

缺乏變化而令人厭煩

Staying the same all the time with no interesting changes or variety, so that something quickly becomes dull or tiresome.

例句

The factory worker found the repetitive task of packing boxes monotonous and tiring.

這名工廠工人發現重複的包裝工作既單調乏味又令人疲憊。

monotonous + and + adjective of result

The long car journey across the flat plains became monotonous after the first hour.

穿越平坦平原的長途車程，在第一個小時後就變得單調乏味。

become + monotonous (predicative)

同義詞
  • tedious

    Emphasises that something feels too long and slow, not just unchanging

  • repetitive

    More neutral; focuses on the act of repeating without the strong negative feeling of boredom

  • dull

    Broader and weaker; can mean uninteresting for any reason, not only lack of change

反義詞
  • varied

    Describes something with many different elements or changes

  • exciting

    Strong positive opposite; something that creates interest or enthusiasm

文法句型

monotonous + noun

be + monotonous

用法筆記

Often describes voices, work routines, landscapes, diets, or journeys — anything whose lack of change over time causes boredom. Works in both attributive position (a monotonous voice) and predicative position (the scenery was monotonous).

常見錯誤

❌The horror movie was monotonous.
✅The horror movie was boring.
💡Monotonous means boring specifically because of sameness and repetition, not because the content itself is uninteresting for other reasons.
❌She has a monotonous headache.
✅She has a constant headache.
💡Monotonous describes external patterns (sound, work, scenery), not internal physical sensations.