Learn English – the difference among “tiresome”, “boring” and “tedious”

difference

I looked up these word in http://en.oxforddictionaries.com:

For "boring", the definition is "Not interesting; tedious". That makes me think that "boring" and "tedious" are nearly the same.

For "tedious", the definition is "Too long, slow, or dull; tiresome or monotonous". Again this seems to me that "tedious" and "tiresome" are interchanable while talking about a "task".

For "tiresome", the definition is "Causing one to feel bored or annoyed". I think a "boring" thing also "causes one to feel bored".

So the only difference I could think of is that "tedious" has to be used with "time", but the other two does not have to.

Is there any other difference amoung them? e.g.:

  1. It is a boring meeting.
  2. It is a tiresome meeting.
  3. It is a tedious meeting.

Best Answer

To summarise what the dictionary entries say:

If something does not hold your interest, it can be described as boring, regardless of how long you spend doing it.

If something does not hold your interest, it can be described as tiresome, regardless of how long you spend doing it.

If something does not hold your interest and you have to spend a long time doing it, it can be described as tedious.

If something is annoying, it can be described as tiresome whether or not it is boring or tedious, and regardless of how long you spend doing it.

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