dull
Americanadjective
-
duller,
comparative
-
dullest
superlative
-
not sharp; blunt.
a dull knife.
-
causing boredom; tedious; uninteresting.
a dull sermon.
- Antonyms:
- interesting
-
not lively or spirited; listless.
-
not bright, intense, or clear; dim.
a dull day; a dull sound.
-
having very little depth of color; lacking in richness or intensity of color.
-
slow in motion or action; not brisk; sluggish.
a dull day in the stock market.
-
mentally slow; lacking brightness of mind; somewhat stupid; obtuse.
- Synonyms:
- stolid, unintelligent, unimaginative
- Antonyms:
- bright
-
lacking keenness of perception in the senses or feelings; insensible; unfeeling.
-
not intense or acute.
a dull pain.
verb (used with or without object)
-
dulls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dulled,
past participle, past
-
dulling
present participle
adjective
-
slow to think or understand; stupid
-
lacking in interest
-
lacking in perception or the ability to respond; insensitive
-
lacking sharpness; blunt
-
not acute, intense, or piercing
-
(of weather) not bright or clear; cloudy
-
not active, busy, or brisk
-
lacking in spirit or animation; listless
-
(of colour) lacking brilliance or brightness; sombre
-
not loud or clear; muffled
-
med (of sound elicited by percussion, esp of the chest) not resonant
verb
Synonym Usage
Dull, blunt refer to the edge or point of an instrument, tool, or the like. Dull implies a lack or a loss of keenness or sharpness: a dull razor or saw. Blunt may mean the same or may refer to an edge or point not intended to be keen or sharp: a blunt or stub pen; a blunt foil. Dull, blunt, slow, stupid are applied to mental qualities. Dull implies obtuseness, lack of imagination: a dull child. Blunt implies loss of original keenness of intelligence through disease, sad experience, or the like: His critical faculties were blunt. Slow applies to a sluggish intellect: a slow mind. Stupid implies slowness of mental processes, but also lack of intelligence, wisdom, prudence, etc.: a stupid person.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dullsimple
-
dullssimple
-
have dulledperfect
-
has dulledperfect
-
am dullingprogressive
-
are dullingprogressive
-
is dullingprogressive
-
have been dullingperfect progressive
-
has been dullingperfect progressive
Past
-
dulledsimple
-
had dulledperfect
-
was dullingprogressive
-
were dullingprogressive
-
had been dullingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dull
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English; akin to Old English dol “foolish, stupid”; cognate with German toll
Explanation
To dull something means to take away its edge, its energy, or its excitement. "Watching that movie will dull your senses, until you fall asleep." Let’s think of something interesting about dull. Hmm. It can be a verb or an adjective! So when you’re reading a dull or boring word description, for instance, it can dull or deaden your appetite for reading more word descriptions. That’s pretty fascinating, no? You can even use it for physical things, like a knife, which you can dull, that is, make it less sharp. You can even dull something visual, making it lacking in light, or use it describe pain — you know, the kind that is not sharp, just an ache. Exciting? No — dull.
Vocabulary lists containing dull
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 4
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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.
See Examples For:
The nano-texture antiglare upgrade is a delight for reading outdoors, though that screen can look dull from some angles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026
Yet a fascinating element of “Godzilla Minus Zero” — as well as director Hideaki Anno’s 2016 “Shin Godzilla” — is how they make a point of featuring saviors who are adamantly dull.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Whether your conjurings would be dramatic or dull, precedents can be found in “Cursed! The Power of Magic in the Ancient World.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
It can sound a little vanilla and dull, but if your point is just to work toward a successful financial life, doing the tried and true things is what it’s really all about.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
A dull glint caught Anya’s eye as she stood in the doorway.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
European soccer has lived this reality, too, its most passionate supporters crowded out by duller, well-heeled buyers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
That show is growing duller, and more lethargic and repetitive, by the day, like watching reruns of a canceled sitcom.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2026
In fact autumn was actually slightly duller than average and December has seen around average sunshine so far.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2025
There is apparently no way to make these things run any faster, but Glaser, who returned often to the stage, at least gave one the impression, between the duller stretches, that it was clipping along.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2025
Although my side still burns, the pain is a little duller and I can walk with less effort than yesterday.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
Ms. Coppola poses the dullest questions and gets very little in response.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
“When you are a scientist, and you are trying to prove or disprove a notion, you work at the bench doing the dullest, most routine things over and over and over again,” Baltimore once explained.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2025
Sunday was one of the dullest games I have watched this year but there was still a fantastic atmosphere.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2023
The first half might have been one of the dullest of a tournament that has already seen five 0-0 draws.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2022
By the time she returned from Liverpool, he was disembarking at Cherbourg and the dullest winter of his life lay before him.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Some time into their ceaseless road trip, the threat of the people in the woods dulls.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Vulgar language can be effective in a sharp response, but it dulls with overuse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
But the passage of time naturally dulls the horror for people farther away.
From Slate ● Jan. 14, 2026
In theory, each ingredient plays a role: one dries secretions, another loosens phlegm, a third dulls the cough reflex.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025
Celia squints through the light, which dulls her eyesight and blurs the palms on the shore.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
The law’s shield is shattered, and its sword is dulled.
From Slate ● May 1, 2026
But strategic-reserve releases, supplies already at sea and, until recently, Iran’s own substantial shipments, have dulled the blow and made it seem less-serious to ordinary consumers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
The bigger question now may be less about appearance and more about whether age and inactivity have dulled those attributes.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
Five years after a Times investigation dulled the shine of the glitzy Hollywood affair, the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, airing Sunday, will cap off a multi-day series of events and tributes now dubbed “Golden Week.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2026
My eyes are still dulled, the sweat breaks out on me again, it runs over my eyelids.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
But he came close enough to prove the old weapon is dulling.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
Paradoxically, it is the unwavering commitment to a narrow range of recognizable figures, dulling in its totality, that turned his signature style into a full-blown brand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
The higher costs have prompted chocolate makers to raise their prices, dulling consumers' appetite for the sweets.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2025
She said the government was not just waiting for the dulling to take place, and had invested £5m in interim, shorter-term road safety issues on the A9.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2025
Once, when her grandfather stepped out, Olanna had chewed the piece of chalk too and still remembered the dulling potash taste.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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