What does humdrum mean?
Word: Humdrum
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Humdrum means ordinary and boring, with nothing new or interesting happening.
Synonyms: boring, monotonous
Antonyms: eventful, thrilling
How do you spell humdrum?
Syllables: hum - drum
Tricky part: Children who know crumb and thumb sometimes add a silent b at the end and write humdrumb. There is no b.
Watch out for: humdrumb, humdrom
Memory tip: The word ends like the drum you beat in a band, not like a crumb on a plate.
Humdrum in a sentence
Example 1: Ravi wanted a break from his humdrum routine of school, homework and sleep.
Example 2: The film started in a humdrum way but soon had everyone on the edge of their seats.
Example 3: Even humdrum jobs like sweeping can be fun with music playing.
Fun Fact
Humdrum has been used in English since the 1500s and is thought to have been made by rhyming a sound with itself, the same playful way that gave us hocus-pocus and helter-skelter.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word: humdrum
a) exciting
b) noisy
c) cheerful
d) dull
Show answer
d) dull. A humdrum task is dull because nothing about it ever changes.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
hummdrum
a) m
b) d
c) u
d) r
Show answer
a) m. Humdrum has only two m's, one in each syllable.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
rmuhdmu
a) murmur
b) eardrum
c) humdrum
d) mushroom
Show answer
c) humdrum. The h and d must both be used: eardrum has no h, murmur has neither, and mushroom needs s and two o's.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) monotonus
b) ordinery
c) humdrum
d) repetetive
Show answer
c) humdrum. Monotonous needs an o before the us, repetitive has an i after the t, and ordinary has ar near the end.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Riya calls one of her jobs humdrum. Which job is it most likely to be?
a) opening a surprise parcel from her aunt
b) planning a picnic for her birthday
c) choosing a prize at the book fair
d) folding the same towels every evening
Show answer
d) folding the same towels every evening
2. Which sentence uses humdrum correctly?
a) The humdrum circus act had the audience gasping.
b) She gave a humdrum cheer when her team won the cup.
c) The humdrum fireworks lit up the whole night sky.
d) After the busy city, life in the quiet village felt humdrum.
Show answer
d) After the busy city, life in the quiet village felt humdrum.
