Standard Lemma guide

tedium

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈtiː.di.əm/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːdiəm
  • CMU ARPABET: T IY1 D IY0 AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Boredom or tediousness; ennui.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

dullness owing to length or slowness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tediousness, tiresomeness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: dullness

Narrower terms: drag

3

noun

Meaning 3

the feeling of being bored by something tedious

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: boredom, ennui

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: dissatisfaction

Narrower terms: blahs, fatigue

History

Etymology

From Latin taedium, from taedēre (“to weary”).

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: скука (skuka) — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Bulgarian: досада (dosada) — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Czech: znuděnost — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Dutch: verveling — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Finnish: ikävystyttävyys — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Finnish: tylsyys — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • French: ennui — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • French: fatigue — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Galician: fastío — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Galician: tedio — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • German: Langeweile — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Greek: ανία (anía) — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Ancient Greek: ἀνία (anía) — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Ido: tedo — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Irish: leadrán — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Latin: taedium — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Latvian: garlaicība — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Latvian: garlaiks — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Māori: takeotanga — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Plautdietsch: Lankwiel — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Polish: nuda — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Portuguese: tédio — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Portuguese: aborrecimento — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Portuguese: fastio — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Portuguese: enfado — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Romanian: plictiseală — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Romanian: urât — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Romanian: anosteală — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Russian: ску́ка (skúka) — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Spanish: tedio — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Turkish: bezginlik — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Turkish: usanç — boredom or tediousness; ennui
  • Turkish: usantı — boredom or tediousness; ennui