leaden

[ led-n ]

adjective

1. inertly heavy like lead; hard to lift or move:

   a leaden weight; leaden feet.

2. dull, spiritless, or gloomy, as in mood or thought:

   leaden prose; a leaden atmosphere.

3. of a dull gray color:

   leaden skies.

4. oppressive; heavy:

   a leaden silence.

5. sluggish; listless:

   They moved at a leaden pace.

6. of poor quality or little value.
7. made or consisting of lead.

verb (used with object)

1. to make leaden, sluggish, dull, etc.:

   Fatigue had leadened his brain and step.

leaden

/ ˈlɛdən /

adjective

1. heavy and inert
2. laboured or sluggish

   leaden steps

3. gloomy, spiritless, or lifeless
4. made partly or wholly of lead
5. of a dull greyish colour

   a leaden sky

Derived Forms

• ˈleadenly, adverb
• ˈleadenness, noun

Other Words From

• leaden·ly adverb
• leaden·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of leaden¹

before 1000; Middle English leden, Old English lēaden. See lead ², -en ²

Example Sentences

John is an inmate in a psychiatric ward courtesy of past crimes that are only briefly mentioned and, via additional leaden conversations, it’s revealed that he still has Dream’s ruby.

From The Daily Beast

He was lying on his back, his eyes closed and with a leaden gray look on his face.

From Washington Post

BOSTON — At least two members of the Washington Wizards came out of a leaden performance against the Boston Celtics in their first game of the NBA’s new play-in tournament feeling optimistic.

From Washington Post

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

Soldiers called out, and they gave two unfortunates leaden food enough to kill them.

From Project Gutenberg

Several tons of leaden pipe were dug up in Fleet street, London, laid down 300 years before.

From Project Gutenberg

The wind-blown rain-makers lost their leaden hue and became a soft pearl-gray, all fleecy white around the edges.

From Project Gutenberg

Thickets were swept as with a great jagged scythe by the leaden hail which swept through them.

From Project Gutenberg

For the rest, the “Dolphin” is a singularly dull and unromantic-looking house, painted a leaden hue.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• ponderous
• weighty