[1620–30; back formation from dreary]This word is first recorded in the period 1620–30. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: clinic, grommet, hotbed, settlement, veto
Examples of 'drear' in a sentence
drear
That, however, was one tiny oasis in a drear desert.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It takes a familiar dance theme - the individual versus the group - and produces a drear and unhappy work.