🇫🇷French Source WordCode: FR

terne

Pronunciation / Transliteration: tɛʁn

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Drab/dræb/
adjectivenounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #1500 frequency
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🇫🇷 Example Sentence in French:

"La pièce était peinte dans des couleurs ternes, ce qui la rendait sans vie."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As adjective
  1. 1

    Lacking brightness or interest; drearily dull.

    "The room was painted in drab colors, making it feel lifeless."
As noun
  1. 1

    A dull, lifeless, or monotonous quality.

    "The drab of the landscape was broken only by the occasional splash of color from wildflowers."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The word 'drab' originates from the early 16th century, derived from the Middle English 'drabbe', which referred to a type of dull, brownish cloth. Its meaning evolved to describe anything lacking brightness or interest, reflecting a broader sense of dullness in color and character.

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