drabber; drabbest
2
a
: of a light olive brown color : of the color drab (see drab entry 2 sense 1a)
b
: of the dull brown color of drab (see drab entry 2 sense 2)
drably
adverb
drabness
noun
1
a
: a light olive brown
b
: a dull, lifeless, or faded appearance or quality
2
textiles
: any of various cloths of a dull brown or gray color
dressed in drabs
: a small amount
—usually used in the phrase dribs and drabs
receiving donations in dribs and drabs
plural drabs
1
: slattern
2
: a woman who engages in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay : a woman who is a sex worker
drabbed; drabbing; drabs
: to associate with sex workers
… a waster, an idler; drinking and drabbing …—
Aldous Huxley
Aldous HuxleySynonyms
Examples of drab in a Sentence
Adjective
He lives a drab life.
the new city hall promises to be another drab pile of masonry for the town
Noun (3)
in its time, this waterfront dive was decried as a den of iniquity, unfit even for the drunks and drabs who haunted it
Recent Examples on the Web
Andy Andersen, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2024
Olive drab, a hue known to army brats (not to be confused with Charli’s brats), expanded the palette.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2024
The movie is largely set in drab Arkham and a stately courtroom.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024
The chatbot race is far from over, and future iterations on the technology are likely to stray far away from that drab chatbox, and toward a more multifaceted approach.
—Reece Rogers, WIRED, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for drab 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
But the truth sinks in when Sofia visits her cousin Gia at her drab, unwelcoming children’s home.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2024
Olive drab, a hue known to army brats (not to be confused with Charli’s brats), expanded the palette.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2024
The movie is largely set in drab Arkham and a stately courtroom.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024
The chatbot race is far from over, and future iterations on the technology are likely to stray far away from that drab chatbox, and toward a more multifaceted approach.
—Reece Rogers, WIRED, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for drab
Articles Related to drab
Dictionary Entries Near drab
Cite this Entry
“Drab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drab. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share