Meanings
plural tediums · plural tedia · alternative Commonwealth taedium · alternative archaic tædium
- uncountableusuallyBoredom or tediousness; ennui.
Nothing actual ever suits pure expectation and such purity of expectation is a great source of tedium.
1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 1921 more example
Yet active life was the genuine soil for his virtues; and he sometimes suffered tedium from the monotonous succession of events in our retirement.
1826, [Mary Shelley], chapter VIII, in The Last Man. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLCSynonyms: boredom, drudgery, ennui, tediousness, déjà vu, acedia, monotony, sameness
Synonyms & antonyms
nounBoredom or tediousness; ennui.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latintaedium
- Englishtedium
From Latin taedium, from taedēre (“to weary”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀνία
- ἀνία (anía)boredom or tediousness; ennui
Bulgarian скука, досада
- скука (skuka)boredom or tediousness; ennui
- досада (dosada)boredom or tediousness; ennui
Czech znuděnost
- znuděnostboredom or tediousness; ennui
Dutch verveling
- vervelingboredom or tediousness; ennui
Finnish ikävystyttävyys, tylsyys
- ikävystyttävyysboredom or tediousness; ennui
- tylsyysboredom or tediousness; ennui
French ennui, fatigue
- ennuiboredom or tediousness; ennui
- fatigueboredom or tediousness; ennui
German Langeweile
- Langeweileboredom or tediousness; ennui
Greek ανία
- ανία (anía)boredom or tediousness; ennui
Irish leadrán
- leadránboredom or tediousness; ennui
Latin taedium
- taediumboredom or tediousness; ennui
Latvian garlaicība, garlaiks
- garlaicībaboredom or tediousness; ennui
- garlaiksboredom or tediousness; ennui
Māori takeotanga
- takeotangaboredom or tediousness; ennui
Polish nuda
- nudaboredom or tediousness; ennui
Portuguese tédio, aborrecimento
- tédioboredom or tediousness; ennui
- aborrecimentoboredom or tediousness; ennui
- fastioboredom or tediousness; ennui
- enfadoboredom or tediousness; ennui
Romanian plictiseală, urât
- plictisealăboredom or tediousness; ennui
- urâtboredom or tediousness; ennui
- anostealăboredom or tediousness; ennui
Russian ску́ка
- ску́ка (skúka)boredom or tediousness; ennui
Spanish tedio
- tedioboredom or tediousness; ennui
Turkish bezginlik, usanç
- bezginlikboredom or tediousness; ennui
- usançboredom or tediousness; ennui
- usantıboredom or tediousness; ennui
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tedium
All rhymes →Cite this entry
tedium. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tedium
“tedium.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tedium. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tedium,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tedium.
Source: tedium on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.