deadening

American  

[ded-n-ing] / ˈdɛd n ɪŋ /

noun

1. a device or material employed to deaden or render dull.

2. a device or material preventing the transmission of sound.

3. a woodland in which the trees are killed by girdling prior to being cleared.

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Etymology

Origin of deadening

First recorded in 1775–85; deaden + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The Black Hawk helicopter was ready for take off – its rotor blades slicing through the air in the deadening heat of the Colombian Amazon.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

She then delivered a speech that denounced the notion of cultural appropriation and its deadening effects on literature.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

Likewise, many well-known geniuses like Billy Wilder, Otto Preminger and Fritz Lang, who were chased out of Europe by the Nazis, brilliantly exposed the hypocrisies and soul deadening conformity of mainstream American culture.

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2026

We already know you can kill what’s up on-screen, deadening us with your storytelling.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2023

The ice ball exploded, spraying his entire body with freezing, paralyzing streams of water, weighing down his arms, deadening his legs, squeezing his heart.

From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte

Related Words

• calming