doldrum

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doldrum

/ˈdɒldɹəm/ UK
/ˈdɑldɹəm/ US

Where it comes from

The noun is possibly derived from dull or Middle English dold (past participle of dullen, dollen (“to make or become blunt or dull; to make or become dull-witted or stupid; to make or become inactive”), from dul, dol, dolle (“not sharp, blunt, dull; not quick-witted, stupid; lethargic, sluggish”); see further at dull), modelled after tantrum.

The adjective is probably derived from the noun.

noun doldrums

obsolete, slang A slothful or stupid person. Were there no "tears and miseries," when the half-witted doldrums, thinking they were not big enough to be seen, put themselves on horseback, to bask and frolic in a procession, and meet their man-midwife, or surgeon, or whatever he is, who had left his business at Norwich, to go to London, for the
Similar: dullard, addle-brain, addlehead, addle pate, airhead, baboon, beanbrain, beetlebrain, beetlehead, berk, bimbo, birdbrain

adjective more doldrum · most doldrum

Boring, uninteresting. She quit her doldrum job and left to seek a life of adventure.
Similar: humdrum

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Cite this

MLA

"doldrum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/doldrum. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

doldrum. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/doldrum

Chicago

"doldrum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/doldrum.

BibTeX

@misc{doldrum_2026,
  title = {doldrum},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/doldrum},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}