Definitions for dull

Definitions for (verb) dull

Main entry: dull

Definition: make less lively or vigorous

Usage: Middle age dulled her appetite for travel


Main entry: dull

Definition: become dull or lusterless in appearance; lose shine or brightness

Usage: the varnished table top dulled with time


Main entry: dull, pall

Definition: become less interesting or attractive


Main entry: dull

Definition: make dull in appearance

Usage: Age had dulled the surface


Main entry: dull, blunt

Definition: make dull or blunt

Usage: Too much cutting dulls the knife's edge


Main entry: dull, blunt, benumb, numb

Definition: make numb or insensitive

Usage: The shock numbed her senses


Main entry: tone down, dull, damp, dampen, muffle, mute

Definition: deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping


Definitions for (adj) dull

Main entry: dull, slow, sluggish

Definition: (of business) not active or brisk

Usage: business is dull (or slow); a sluggish market


Main entry: dull

Definition: emitting or reflecting very little light

Usage: a dull glow; dull silver badly in need of a polish; a dull sky


Main entry: dull

Definition: (of color) very low in saturation; highly diluted

Usage: dull greens and blues


Main entry: dim, dense, dull, dumb, obtuse, slow

Definition: slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity

Usage: so dense he never understands anything I say to him; never met anyone quite so dim; although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick- Thackeray; dumb officials make some really dumb decisions; he was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse; worked with the slow students


Main entry: dull, leaden

Definition: darkened with overcast

Usage: a dark day; a dull sky; the sky was leaden and thick


Main entry: dull

Definition: not having a sharp edge or point

Usage: the knife was too dull to be of any use


Main entry: dull

Definition: not keenly felt

Usage: a dull throbbing; dull pain


Main entry: dull

Definition: lacking in liveliness or animation

Usage: he was so dull at parties; a dull political campaign; a large dull impassive man; dull days with nothing to do; how dull and dreary the world is; fell back into one of her dull moods


Main entry: tiresome, tedious, irksome, boring, ho-hum, slow, dull, deadening, wearisome

Definition: so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness

Usage: a boring evening with uninteresting people; the deadening effect of some routine tasks; a dull play; his competent but dull performance; a ho-hum speaker who couldn't capture their attention; what an irksome task the writing of long letters is- Edmund Burke; tedious days on the train; the tiresome chirping of a cricket- Mark Twain; other people's dreams are dreadfully wearisome


Main entry: softened, dull, muffled, muted

Definition: being or made softer or less loud or clear

Usage: the dull boom of distant breaking waves; muffled drums; the muffled noises of the street; muted trumpets


Main entry: dull, thudding

Definition: not clear and resonant; sounding as if striking with or against something relatively soft

Usage: the dull thud; thudding bullets


Main entry: dull

Definition: blunted in responsiveness or sensibility

Usage: a dull gaze; so exhausted she was dull to what went on about her- Willa Cather


Visual thesaurus for dull