Standard Lemma guide

tiresome

adj · 2 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.

  • General-American: /ˈtaɪɚsəm/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtaɪəsəm/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T AY1 ER0 S AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Causing fatigue or boredom; wearisome.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Eventually his long stories became tiresome.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: boring, dull, irksome, slow, tedious, wearisome, exhausting, drippy, drudgerous, longsome, monotonous, torporific, wearing, tiresome

Antonyms: energizing, exciting, fresh, interesting

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness- Edmund Burke- Mark Twain

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a boring evening with uninteresting people
  • the deadening effect of some routine tasks
  • a dull play
  • his competent but dull performance
  • a ho-hum speaker who couldn't capture their attention
  • what an irksome task the writing of long letters is
  • tedious days on the train
  • the tiresome chirping of a cricket
  • other people's dreams are dreadfully wearisome

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: boring, deadening, dull, ho-hum, irksome, slow, tedious, wearisome

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From tire + -some.

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: yorucu — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Belarusian: абры́длівы (abrýdlivy) — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Bulgarian: уморителен (umoritelen) — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Bulgarian: изморителен (izmoritelen) — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Bulgarian: изтощителен (iztoštitelen) — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Bulgarian: изнурителен (iznuritelen) — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Catalan: empipador — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Czech: únavný — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Czech: nudný — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Czech: fádní — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Czech: otravný — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Czech: obtížný — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Czech: protivný — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Finnish: rasittava — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Finnish: väsyttävä — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Finnish: pitkästyttävä — causing fatigue or boredom
  • French: ennuyeux — causing fatigue or boredom
  • French: barbant — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Georgian: მომაბეზრებელი (momabezrebeli) — causing fatigue or boredom
  • German: ermüdend — causing fatigue or boredom
  • German: mühsam — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Hungarian: unalmas — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Hungarian: idegesítő — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Hungarian: fárasztó — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Irish: liosta — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Italian: fastidioso — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Italian: noioso — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Latin: molestus — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Malay: membosankan — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Māori: tōwenewene — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Mauritian Creole: fatigan — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Polish: nudny — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Portuguese: cansativo — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Portuguese: entediante — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Portuguese: enfadonho — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Romanian: obositor — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Russian: утоми́тельный (utomítelʹnyj) — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Russian: ску́чный (skúčnyj) — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Spanish: fatigoso — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Spanish: cansador — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Spanish: agotador — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Spanish: cansón — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Swedish: tröttsam — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Thai: น่าเบื่อ (nâa-bʉ̀ʉa) — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Thai: น่าเบื่อหน่าย — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Thai: น่าเหนื่อยหน่าย — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Turkish: yorucu — causing fatigue or boredom
  • Zazaki: edıznaye — causing fatigue or boredom