weary

weary — adjective

1. Feeling extremely tired in both body and mind, with little energy or enthusiasm

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

Feeling extremely tired in both body and mind, with little energy or enthusiasm left for anything.

Example

After hiking twelve kilometres up the mountain trail, Nellie felt too weary to prepare dinner.

too weary + to-infinitive pattern for result of exhaustion

Christopher's weary eyes showed how little sleep the night shift had given him.

weary + body part (eyes) to show physical sign of tiredness

Common collocations
  • weary eyes
  • weary sigh
  • weary smile
  • too weary to
  • weary from
  • grow weary
Synonyms
  • exhausted

    Stronger than weary; implies having no energy left at all

  • drained

    Focuses on emotional or mental depletion rather than physical

  • fatigued

    More formal; often used in medical or technical contexts

Antonyms
  • energetic

    Having plenty of energy and enthusiasm

  • refreshed

    Rested and restored after sleep or a break

Grammar Patterns

too weary + to-infinitive

weary + body-part noun (eyes, legs, voice)

Usage Note

Often appears with body-part nouns (weary eyes, weary sigh, weary smile) to describe physical signs of tiredness without stating the feeling directly. The pattern 'too weary to do something' is common in both spoken and written English.

Common Mistakes

I am wary from working all day.
I am weary from working all day.
'wary' means cautious or suspicious; 'weary' means tired. These two words are frequently confused because they sound alike.

2. Having lost all interest or patience because something has happened or been repe

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

Having lost all interest or patience because something has happened or been repeated too many times for too long.

Example

Hana grew weary of watching the same children's cartoon every single morning before school.

grew weary of + gerund for losing interest over time

Residents became weary of the constant noise from the construction site next door.

became weary of + noun for growing impatience

Common collocations
  • weary of
  • grow weary of
  • become weary of
  • weary of waiting
Synonyms
  • tired of

    Less formal and more common in everyday speech

  • fed up with

    Informal; implies annoyance as well as boredom

  • sick of

    Informal; stronger emotional tone, often frustrated

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

weary of + noun/gerund

grow/become weary of + noun/gerund

Usage Note

Almost always used with 'of'. The constructions 'grow weary of' and 'become weary of' emphasize a gradual process of losing patience or interest. This sense is more formal than 'tired of'.

Common Mistakes

I am boring of this game.
I am weary of this game.
'boring' is an adjective describing the thing, not a verb. Use 'weary of' or 'tired of' to express your own feeling.

3. Used to describe an experience, task, or situation that drains your energy or pa

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

Used to describe an experience, task, or situation that drains your energy or patience because it lasts too long or demands too much effort.

Example

The refugees made a weary journey across the desert to reach the border checkpoint.

weary + journey: describing a long, exhausting trip

After three hours of weary negotiations, both sides finally signed the agreement.

Common collocations
  • weary journey
  • weary climb
  • weary wait
  • weary negotiations
Synonyms
  • wearisome

    More general; can be used attributively or predicatively; slightly more literary

  • tiring

    More common in everyday speech; less formal

  • draining

    Focuses on emotional or mental energy being consumed

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

weary + noun (journey, climb, wait)

Usage Note

This sense is used only before a noun (attributive position). You can say 'a weary journey' but not 'the journey is weary'. Compare with 'wearisome', which can be used both before a noun and after a linking verb.

weary — verb

Word family

  • wearily
    adverbB2
  • weariness
    nounB2
  • wearisome
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

While all four words describe a lack of energy, they differ in intensity and use. 'Tired' is the most general and neutral word, suitable for any level of fatigue from mild to severe. 'Weary' suggests a deeper, more long-lasting tiredness that affects both body and spirit — it often carries an emotional weight of having endured something difficult. 'Exhausted' is stronger than weary, implying that all energy has been completely used up. 'Drained' focuses on the feeling of having your energy slowly taken away, often by emotional or mental demands rather than physical effort. 'Fatigued' is the most formal and is common in medical or technical contexts. For example: after a long week of caring for a sick relative, you might say 'I'm weary' (emphasizing the emotional toll); after running a marathon, 'I'm exhausted' (purely physical); after hours of difficult concentration, 'I'm mentally drained'.

exhausted ↗drainedfatiguedtired ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • weary eyes
  • weary sigh
  • weary smile
  • weary journey
  • weary traveller

Adverbs

  • visibly weary
  • increasingly weary
  • clearly weary

Phrases

  • too weary to
  • grow weary of
  • become weary of

Prepositions

  • weary of
  • weary from
  • weary with

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Weary comes from Old English wērig, meaning weak, exhausted, or tired. It is related to Old Saxon wōrig (tired) and may be connected to the root of the verb 'wear,' in the sense of being worn down by use or effort. The verb form appeared in Middle English, used both transitively (to weary someone) and intransitively (to become weary).