ˈdrir]ē, -rēr], ]i\ adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English drery, from Old English drēorig sad, bloody, from drēor gore, falling blood; akin to Old English drēosan to fall, Old High German trūrēn to be sad, Middle High German trōr dripping liquid, Old Norse dreyri flowing blood, Gothic driusan to fall, Greek thrauein to shatter
1. obsolete : cruel , dire , grievous
2. : feeling, displaying, or reflecting a settled mood of listlessness or discouragement : without liveliness, cheer, joy, or hope
she would fix her eyes on the distance in dreary contemplation, and her mind would follow her eyes in a vacant and wistful regard — G.D.Brown
restore a crazy constitution and cheer a dreary mind — George Berkeley
3. : not having anything likely to cheer, comfort, encourage, interest, or enliven : making for gloomy dullness : depressing , discouraging , enervating
dreary sketches of people in breadliness — R.H.Rovere
abandoned farms alone remained as dreary reminders of former prosperity — American Guide Series: Massachusetts
life in a perfectly sensible, utilitarian community would be intolerably dreary — Aldous Huxley
Synonyms: see dismal