Make Your Point > Archived Issues > TEDIOUS
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pronounce
TEDIOUS:
Say it "TEE dee us."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
An Onion headline joked, "The Hobbit To Feature 53-Minute-Long Scene Of Bilbo Baggins Trying To Figure Out What To Pack."
They were poking fun at the film's tedious pace:
"Yeah, he just sort of fusses around for a while, wondering aloud whether he should pack an umbrella or not, and laying out different coats on his bed."
Speaking of long, boring, slow, sluggish, tedious parts, see if you can recall this word: French for "a long, boring passage," a long____ is a boring section of something, like in a song, a story, or a period of time.
And, speaking of long, boring, slow, sluggish things in general, see if you can recall a term closely related to tedious: Latin for "weariness of life," taedium v___e is just that: the feeling that life is tiresome and boring.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
In Latin, taedium means "weariness, or disgust."
That's where we got our English word "tedium," which means "boringness, repetitiveness, and lengthiness."
And "tedious," the word for things that are boring, repetitive, and taking a long time.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "a tedious lecture;" "That book is so tedious."
Other forms:
The standard noun is "tedium," but if you need an especially awkward-sounding one, you can pick "tediousness."
The adverb is "tediously."
how to use it:
This word is common and formal, with a negative tone.
Pick it to emphasize how something tires you or even exhausts you because it's so dull and so lengthy and so same-y.
You might talk about tedious books and movies, tedious speeches and programs, tedious events and trips, tedious tasks and jobs, tedious paperwork and processes, tedious topics and conversations, and tedious periods of time--like tedious hours, days, and years.
Even people can be tedious.
examples:
"Though simple in theory, batching samples is tedious and time-consuming, as researchers carefully transfer precise amounts of liquid from one tube to another hundreds, perhaps thousands, of times over."
— Katherine J. Wu, New York Times, 18 August 2020
"That afternoon she spent a tedious hour assisting Ana in dressing for dinner, and that evening the house was full of ladies in rich satin gowns and gentlemen wearing plush velvet and shining boots."
— Malinda Lo, Ash, 2009
has this page helped you understand "tedious"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "tedious" without saying "dull and annoying" or "long and boring."
try it out:
When my sister and I were in elementary school, we found our classes tedious when we had to wait around a lot for activities to start or finish. To relieve the tedium, we pretended to have invisible kittens in our desks.
For you, what are (or were) the most tedious parts of being at school or at work? Why are those parts so tedious? What are some things you could do that might ease the tedium?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for October is "Silly Smashings!"
In each issue this month, I'll give you the definition of a word I've concocted by smashing together two words we've studied before.
See if you can come up with the same silly smashing that I did.
For example, I'll say, "This noun means 'an extremely outdated, old-fashioned, ill-considered assumption that there are only two ways of dealing with a certain problem.'" And you'll say, "That's a troglodichotomy." (Which is a silly smashing of troglodyte and dichotomy.)
I'll list the answer at the bottom of each issue. Maybe your answer will match mine. Or maybe yours will be even better; if so, be sure to share it with me!
Try this one today:
This four-syllable adjective describes news stories about people working hard and persevering to rise up from poverty--so they're perfectly fitting when you need to feel all warm and fuzzy.
review this word:
A. FURY, MESS, and CHAOS.
B. JOY, CLARITY, and BUBBLINESS.
C. VARIETY, EXCITEMENT, and RAPIDITY.
2. In the Associated Press, Mark Kennedy wrote, "Most filmmakers would leave that tedious moment on the cutting room floor." He was referring to a scene in which a character _____.
A. lies bleeding on the concrete
B. waits for two minutes on the phone, on hold
C. flashes back to what happened immediately before
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
An Onion headline joked, "The Hobbit To Feature 53-Minute-Long Scene Of Bilbo Baggins Trying To Figure Out What To Pack."
In Latin, taedium means "weariness, or disgust."
Part of speech:
This word is common and formal, with a negative tone.
"Though simple in theory, batching samples is tedious and time-consuming, as researchers carefully transfer precise amounts of liquid from one tube to another hundreds, perhaps thousands, of times over."
Explain the meaning of "tedious" without saying "dull and annoying" or "long and boring."
When my sister and I were in elementary school, we found our classes tedious when we had to wait around a lot for activities to start or finish. To relieve the tedium, we pretended to have invisible kittens in our desks.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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