dull

[ duhl ]

See synonyms for: dull dulled duller dulling on Thesaurus.com

adjective,dull·er, dull·est.

not sharp; blunt: a dull knife.
causing boredom; tedious; uninteresting: a dull sermon.

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.
lacking keenness of perception in the senses or feelings; insensible; unfeeling.
not intense or acute: a dull pain.

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become dull.

Origin of dull

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English; akin to Old English dol “foolish, stupid”; cognate with German toll

synonym study For dull

1. 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. 7. 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 words for dull

2	boring, tiresome, dreary, vapid
3	apathetic, torpid, inactive, inert
7	unimaginative, unintelligent, stolid
10	blunt, deaden, benumb; depress, dishearten, discourage

See synonyms for dull on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for dull

1	sharp, keen
2	interesting
7	bright

See antonyms for dull on Thesaurus.com

Other words from dull

dullness, dulness, noun
dully, adverb
un·dulled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dull in a sentence

While it was mild fun exploring areas to find the puzzle pieces, repeated activities started to dull any sense of adventure, and it started to feel, once again, like a bullet point off an open-world checklist.
‘Immortals: Fenyx Rising’ is a worthy adventure wavering between cringe and charm | Gene Park | November 30, 2020 | Washington Post
Here’s a great SEO case study example showing off this structure without being dull or boring.
Seven most popular types of blog posts guaranteed to boost traffic | Karl Tablante | November 30, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
Plastic-wrapped cookies and cookies sent in tins seemed to absorb their powder, leaving them a bit dull.
The Best Ways to Send Holiday Cookies in the Mail | Meghan McCarron | November 30, 2020 | Eater
If he has ever written a bad, dull or disappointing book, I haven’t seen it.
‘Eddie’s Boy,’ by Thomas Perry, continues the saga of a retired hit man who can’t escape his past | Bill Sheehan | November 29, 2020 | Washington Post
First, was the Wild Huckleberry 8-Acid Polishing Peel which was used to help “gently polish away dull, dead skin.”
Taraji P. Henson’s AMA Makeup Look Had To Complement A Whopping 10 Outfit Changes | cmurray | November 23, 2020 | Essence.com

Gravity is transformed from the constraint that holds us dully to Earth into the power that lets us fly.
Skiing is Love at First Swoosh | David Frum | March 16, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
“Toward the end, you didn't know it was bodies anymore,” Helen says dully.
Dr. Mengele's Twins | Abigail Pogrebin | October 28, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
Garnache opened his eyes and stared a second dully at the disturber of his feigned slumbers.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
Presently a pair of bloodshot eyes were opened and looked dully round the room.
The Weight of the Crown | Fred M. White
They tried to make as little noise as possible, but though they walked on tiptoe, the sound echoed back to them dully.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O | Clair Blank
Dully, his intellect numbed as his body was numbed, he went back to his tasks,—tasks that were seemingly endless.
The White Desert | Courtney Ryley Cooper
Dully, hazily, he stared at it with his red eyes, with the faint feeling of a duty neglected.
The White Desert | Courtney Ryley Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for dull

dull

/ (dʌl) /

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

to make or become dull

Origin of dull

Old English dol; related to Old Norse dul conceit, Old High German tol foolish, Greek tholeros confused

Derived forms of dull

dullish, adjective
dullness or dulness, noun
dully, adverb

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with dull

dull

In addition to the idiom beginning with dull

dull as dishwater

also see:

never a dull moment

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