ENGLISH
REFERENCE

weary

v.
C1 Advanced US //ˈwɪɹi// UK //wˈiəɹi// weary

v. to become very tired or bored of something. It can also mean to make someone else feel exhausted.

v. to grow tired or lose patience; to exhaust the strength or endurance of another. Often used intransitively with 'of' to indicate the source of fatigue.


SIMPLE

I began to weary of the long commute every morning.

CONTEXTUAL

The constant political arguments on social media caused many users to weary of the platform entirely.

COMPLEX

Even the most dedicated researchers may weary of a project when the data fails to yield significant results after years of meticulous observation and testing.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English wery, weri, from Old English wēriġ (“weary”), from Proto-West Germanic wōrīg, wōrag (“weary”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian wuurich (“weary, tired”), West Frisian wurch (“tired”), Dutch dialectal wurrig (“exhausted”), Old Saxon wōrig (“weary”), Old High German wōrag, wuarag (“drunken”).

Usage

When used intransitively, it almost always takes the preposition 'of'. As a transitive verb, it takes a direct object representing the person being exhausted.

Pitfall

He was weary from the workThe work wearied himWhile 'weary' is a common adjective, as a verb it describes the process of becoming tired or making someone tired; learners often use the adjective form where the verb is intended.

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