leaden

[ led-n ]

/ ˈlɛd 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.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for leaden

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
The sky was covered with leaden clouds and the rain came down in torrents.
Empires and Emperors of Russia, China, Korea, and Japan|Pter Vay
He took the letter and read it when, an hour later, the Idaho was plowing her lazy way southward through a dull and leaden sea.
A Wounded Name|Charles King

Dilute nitric acid is then poured through the funnel and leaden pipe.
Water Supply: the Present Practice of Sinking and Boring Wells|Ernest Spon
Despite the leaden coffin, the stench was such that several persons fainted.
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 4|Henry Charles Lea
As a matter of truth, Jack Potter was beginning to find the shadow of a deed weigh upon him like a leaden slab.
The Open Boat and Other Stories|Stephen Crane

British Dictionary definitions for leaden

leaden

/ (ˈlɛdən) /

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

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

adjective

verb (used with object)

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Nearby words

Origin of leaden

Examples from the Web for leaden

British Dictionary definitions for leaden

leaden

adjective

Word Origin and History for leaden

leaden