Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

drear

/dɹɪɚ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.47 in modern English

Syllables: drear
IPA: /dɹɪɚ/

6

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Literary

noun

Gloom; sadness.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"Earth raised up her head From the darkness dread and drear,"
"I spoke, perplexed by something in the signs Of desolation I had seen and heard In this drear pilgrimage to ruined shrines:"
"And over all, the dead silence of the dead, the sense of utter loneliness, and the brooding spirit of the Past! How beautiful it was, and yet how drear! We did not dare to speak aloud."
"Now dreary dawns the eastern light, And fall of eve is drear, [...]"

Etymology

Shortening of dreary.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /dɹɪɚ/
British English: /dɹɪə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

drearer (comparative) drearest (superlative) drears (plural) dreare (alternative)

Derived Forms

drearness drearsome

Synonyms

bleak dreary cheerless comfortless dark morose depressing desolate dire disconsolate dismal doleful

Rhymes With

here year we're near clear hear career fear wear appear dear beer

Questions

How do you pronounce drear?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɹɪɚ/.
What does drear mean?: Dreary.
Where does drear come from?: Shortening of dreary.

How to pronounce drear

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “drear”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɹɪɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “drear”.
Repeat and practice — Say “drear” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.