Boredom · Feelings and energy
be bored stiff
be extremely bored
To feel extremely bored.
This vs that
I was bored stiff during the lecture.
I got bored of the lecture halfway through.
Hear it in real life
How was the conference?
Honestly, I was bored stiff by the second talk.
I was bored stiff on the six-hour bus journey.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
The stiff version sounds like a formal report; people normally use the idiom in conversation.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: I was bored stiffness during the meeting.
Say: I was bored stiff during the meeting.
Use the fixed adjective phrase 'bored stiff'.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
be bored stiff by ___
I was bored stiff by the long training session.
He was bored stiff by the repetitive paperwork.
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about boredom.
I need something to do
I need something to do while I wait.
I could do with a change
I could do with a change of scenery.
How strong?
Feelings and energy · Boredom: the words around “be bored stiff”.
- There's not much going on
- dragging a bitI'm not feeling very challenged
- I'm going a bit stir-crazy
- I'm bored out of my mind
More connectionsEasy to mix up · More boredom words5
More boredom words
Your turn: say it out loud
I was bored stiff during the presentation.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
be bored stiff
be extremely bored
“I was bored stiff on the six-hour bus journey.”
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