What does drearisome mean?
Drearisome is an adjective meaning dreary, gloomy, and cheerless. It describes places, weather, tasks, or periods of life that feel dull, bleak, or depressing — a drearisome landscape, a drearisome afternoon, a drearisome stretch of work. The word is formed from 'dreary', an Old English word for sorrowful, combined with the suffix '-some', which turns adjectives into words expressing a quality (as in 'lonesome' or 'tiresome'). Although perfectly intelligible to modern readers, 'drearisome' is literary and somewhat archaic; it survives mainly in older prose, poetry, and dialect-influenced writing, where its extra syllable lends a deliberately weighty, old-fashioned tone. Writers today usually choose the simpler 'dreary', reserving 'drearisome' when they want an evocative, slightly antique flavour. It carries an unambiguously negative connotation, suggesting both tedium and emotional flatness rather than active menace or tragedy.
adjectiveDreary, gloomy, and cheerless; causing sadness or boredom. It is a literary and somewhat archaic synonym of 'dreary'.
- Dreary, gloomy, or cheerless in character; dull and depressing.
"The travellers pressed on through the drearisome stretch of moorland as the light began to fail."
"The inn was a drearisome place, all low beams and smoky air."
"He spent a drearisome winter alone in the coastal cottage."
'Drearisome' is what happens when English glues its oldest sadness-word to its busiest suffix — a double-dose of gloom in one word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of drearisome
Drearisome is a compound of 'dreary', which descends from Old English 'drēorig', originally meaning 'gory' or 'bloody' before shifting to mean 'sad' or 'sorrowful', and the adjectival suffix '-some' (as in 'lonesome' and 'tiresome'). The formation follows a productive English pattern of pairing adjectives with '-some'. The word has been used since at least the early modern period and has remained a chiefly literary alternative to 'dreary'; its closest relatives are 'dreary' itself and the shortened poetic form 'drear'.
How drearisome is actually used
Literary and somewhat archaic in register; it appears mostly in older literature, regional writing, or deliberately old-fashioned prose. In everyday modern speech, 'dreary' is strongly preferred.
Easily confused with drearisome
'Awesome' means inspiring awe or admiration (or, informally, excellent), while 'drearisome' means gloomy and cheerless — the shared '-some' suffix can mislead readers about the mood of the word.
'Lonesome' specifically connotes loneliness, whereas 'drearisome' describes something generally dull, bleak, and depressing.