deadening

American  

[ded-n-ing] / ˈdɛd n ɪŋ /

noun

1. a device or material employed to deaden or render dull.

2. a device or material preventing the transmission of sound.

3. a woodland in which the trees are killed by girdling prior to being cleared.

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Etymology

Origin of deadening

First recorded in 1775–85; deaden + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

She then delivered a speech that denounced the notion of cultural appropriation and its deadening effects on literature.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

Likewise, many well-known geniuses like Billy Wilder, Otto Preminger and Fritz Lang, who were chased out of Europe by the Nazis, brilliantly exposed the hypocrisies and soul deadening conformity of mainstream American culture.

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2026

If You're Glad I'll Be Frank imagined the speaking clock as a real woman speaking live, her internal monologue utterly at odds with the deadening repetitiveness of endlessly intoning "at the third stroke..."

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025

I’m reluctant to embrace that particular stay-in-your-lane logic, which is ultimately deadening to the cause of art and empathy.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2023

It was a false spring day, which, like Maureen, had pierced the shell of a deadening winter.

From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

• calming