deaden

American  

[ded-n] / ˈdɛd n /

verb (used with object)

1. 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

2. to lessen the velocity of; retard.

   to deaden the headway of a ship.

3. to make impervious to sound, as a floor.

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verb (used without object)

1. to become dead.

deaden British  

/ ˈdɛdən /

verb

1. to make or become less sensitive, intense, lively, etc; damp or be damped down; dull

2. (tr) to make acoustically less resonant

   he deadened the room with heavy curtains

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Other Word Forms

• deadener
  noun
• deadening
  adjective
• undeadened
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of deaden

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

Example Sentences

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

Related Words

• desensitize
• impair