What does monotony mean?
Word: Monotony
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Monotony means a dull lack of change in something that goes on and on in the same way.
How do you spell monotony?
Syllables: mo - not - o - ny
Tricky part: The last part is spoken so quickly that pupils guess at any or eny. Only ony is right.
Watch out for: monotany, monotonny, monotini
Memory tip: Something dull goes on and on, so the word closes with on before the y.
Monotony in a sentence
Example 1: The monotony of copying the same sentence fifty times made Rohan yawn.
Example 2: Sailors on long voyages once carved small toys to escape the monotony of life at sea.
Example 3: Night-shift workers often listen to music to ease the monotony.
Fun Fact
The word began as a musical idea: in Greek it described a voice or sound stuck on a single tone, and only later came to mean any tiresome sameness.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
m_n_tony
a) u,o
b) o,o
c) a,o
d) o,a
Show answer
b) o,o. Two beats near the start share one vowel, and the stress falls on the second of them.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
Rows of identical grey houses gave the new estate a certain ntmyoono that visitors noticed at once.
a) monotony
b) monopoly
c) mahogany
d) monotone
Show answer
a) monotony. With three o's and a y but no e, p, l or g, the letters fit one option.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word monotony as used in the sentence:
To break the monotony of the long drive to Jaipur, Papa started a game of word chains.
a) boredom
b) tedium
c) repetition
d) variety
Show answer
d) variety. A word game adds some change, and variety is the only option that means change.
Spell-o-Spell
One word in the list is misspelt. Choose what that word means.
1. leisure 2. aubergine 3. courgette 4. monottony
a) a large purple vegetable, shiny and smooth
b) sameness that makes you restless
c) a long green vegetable like a small marrow
d) time when you are free from work
Show answer
b) sameness that makes you restless. Only one t is needed in the page word; leisure, aubergine and courgette are correct.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which job is most likely to suffer from monotony?
a) designing posters for each new play
b) reporting on a different match weekly
c) guiding visitors round a new city
d) stamping the same form all day
Show answer
d) stamping the same form all day
2. A pupil writes that the holiday had 'a certain monotony'. How did it feel?
a) Each day ended with a big party
b) Each day seemed much like the last
c) Each day passed far too quickly
d) Each day brought a fresh surprise
Show answer
b) Each day seemed much like the last
