Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tedium

/ˈtiː.di.əm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.55 in modern English

Syllables: te-di-um
IPA: /ˈtiː.di.əm/

9

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Boredom or tediousness; ennui.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Yet active life was the genuine soil for his virtues; and he sometimes suffered tedium from the monotonous succession of events in our retirement."
"Nothing actual ever suits pure expectation and such purity of expectation is a great source of tedium."

Etymology

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

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: taedium

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈtiː.di.əm/

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

tediums (plural) tedia (plural) taedium (alternative, Commonwealth) tædium (alternative, archaic)

Phrases

taedium vitae

Frequently Paired Words

taedium vitae tedious bore boring wearisome

Synonyms

boredom drudgery ennui tediousness déjà vu acedia monotony sameness tiresomeness tedium wearisomeness

Antonyms

amusement interest

Rhymes With

medium

Questions

How do you pronounce tedium?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtiː.di.əm/.
What does tedium mean?: Boredom or tediousness; ennui.
Where does tedium come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce tedium

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