leaden

[led-n]

See more synonyms for leaden on Thesaurus.com

adjective

inertly heavy like lead; hard to lift or move: a leaden weight; leaden feet.
dull, spiritless, or gloomy, as in mood or thought: leaden prose; a leaden atmosphere.
of a dull gray color: leaden skies.

oppressive; heavy: a leaden silence.
sluggish; listless: They moved at a leaden pace.
of poor quality or little value.
made or consisting of lead.

verb (used with object)

to make leaden, sluggish, dull, etc.: Fatigue had leadened his brain and step.

Origin of leaden

before 1000; Middle English leden, Old English lēaden. See lead², -en²

Related formslead·en·ly, adverblead·en·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for leaden

Contemporary Examples

Technically, White should seem out of step with our current pop-centric culture: leaden, irrelevant, dinosauric.
Is Jack White the Last True Rock Star?
Andrew Romano
June 13, 2014
That there was a way to tell the story and not have been leaden—not be a chore or an ordeal.
Steve Coogan Makes His Bid For Some Serious, Dramatic Roles
Andrew Romano
November 29, 2013
The Romney-Ryan Medicare proposal is stunningly unpopular—and Romney left the debate firmly lashed to its leaden weight.
Romney Won the Debate but it Was No Game Changer
Robert Shrum
October 4, 2012

Historical Examples

As they approached it, the dull hue that lay upon it resembled that of the leaden sky.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Now the minutes dragged with leaden feet until Dick should come.
Viviette
William J. Locke
The sky was dull and leaden, and cindery flakes of snow were thinly falling.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
In the meantime the sun had retired behind thick, leaden clouds.
The Forest
Stewart Edward White
God's wrath comes with leaden feet, but it strikes with iron hands.
Micah Clarke
Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for leaden

leaden

adjective

heavy and inert
laboured or sluggishleaden steps
gloomy, spiritless, or lifeless
made partly or wholly of lead
of a dull greyish coloura leaden sky

Derived Formsleadenly, adverbleadenness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for leaden

adj.

"made of lead," Old English leaden, from lead (n.1) + -en (2). The figurative sense of "heavy, oppressive, dull" is attested by 1570s. Related: Leadenly; leadenness.

leaden

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}leaden

Related Words

Examples from the Web for leaden

Contemporary Examples

Technically, White should seem out of step with our current pop-centric culture: leaden, irrelevant, dinosauric.

That there was a way to tell the story and not have been leaden—not be a chore or an ordeal.

The Romney-Ryan Medicare proposal is stunningly unpopular—and Romney left the debate firmly lashed to its leaden weight.

Historical Examples

As they approached it, the dull hue that lay upon it resembled that of the leaden sky.

Now the minutes dragged with leaden feet until Dick should come.

The sky was dull and leaden, and cindery flakes of snow were thinly falling.

In the meantime the sun had retired behind thick, leaden clouds.

God's wrath comes with leaden feet, but it strikes with iron hands.

leaden

Word Origin and History for leaden

adj.

Origin of leaden