drear

Etymology 1

Shortening of dreary.

adj

  1. (poetic, literary) Dreary.
    Earth raised up her head From the darkness dread and drear, 1794, William Blake, Earth's Answer, lines 1-2
    I spoke, perplexed by something in the signs Of desolation I had seen and heard In this drear pilgrimage to ruined shrines: 1874, James Thomson, The City of Dreadful Night
    Now dreary dawns the eastern light, And fall of eve is drear, … 1922, A. E. Housman, Last Poems, XXVIII, lines 1-2

Etymology 2

Back-formation from dreary.

noun

  1. (obsolete) Gloom; sadness.

Attribution / Disclaimer All definitions come directly from Wiktionary using the Wiktextract library. We do not edit or curate the definitions for any words, if you feel the definition listed is incorrect or offensive please suggest modifications directly to the source (wiktionary/drear), any changes made to the source will update on this page periodically.