Synonyms

deaden

American

[ded-n] / ˈdɛd n /

verb (used with object)

to make less sensitive, active, energetic, or forcible; weaken.

to deaden sound; to deaden the senses; to deaden the force of a blow.

Synonyms:

dull, numb, lessen, diminish, blunt
to lessen the velocity of; retard.

to deaden the headway of a ship.
to make impervious to sound, as a floor.

verb (used without object)

to become dead.

deaden British

/ ˈdɛdən /

verb

to make or become less sensitive, intense, lively, etc; damp or be damped down; dull
(tr) to make acoustically less resonant

he deadened the room with heavy curtains

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Etymology

Origin of deaden

First recorded in 1655–65; dead + -en ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Deaden the sense of love which the artist bears his art, and as the spirit that underlies his thought-scenes vanishes, his touch becomes chilled, and his brush inexpressive.

From Etidorhpa or the End of Earth. The Strange History of a Mysterious Being and The Account of a Remarkable Journey by Lloyd, John Uri

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023