dull

Formsduller, dullest

Formsdulls, dulling, dulled

1. 1
   adjective

   Not fun or interesting, making people feel bored.

   Like a rainy day when there is nothing to do.

   The movie was so dull that half the audience fell asleep.

   We spent a dull afternoon waiting in a long line.

   Similarboring, bland, flat, monotonous, humdrum

   Oppositeinteresting, exciting, lively, engaging

2. 2
   adjective

   Not sharp, and too blunt to cut things easily.

   Like trying to cut with the back of a spoon.

   This knife is too dull to slice bread.

   The old scissors were dull and tore the paper.

   Similarblunt

   Oppositesharp

3. 3
   adjective

   Not shiny, with no shine or bright look.

   Like a mirror covered in a layer of dust.

   The old coin had a dull surface after years of handling.

   Her shoes looked dull until she polished them.

   Similarmatte, dim, faint, dingy, wan

   Oppositebright

   Note
4. 4
   adjective

   Not clever, and slow at learning or understanding things.

   He felt dull next to his quick-thinking classmates.

   A patient teacher never makes a child feel dull.

   Similarstupid, dense, brainless, mindless, childish

   Oppositebright, clever, intelligent, sharp

   Note
5. 5
   adjective

   Not strong or sharp, felt only a little.

   Like a sore feeling that stays low and never turns sharp.

   She felt a dull ache in her back after the long drive.

   There was a dull pain in his knee all morning.

   Similarmild, faint, slight, low-grade

   Oppositesharp, acute, intense

6. 6
   adjective

   Of a sound, soft and muffled, not clear or sharp.

   Like a knock heard through a thick wall.

   They heard a dull thud from the next room.

   The wet drum made a dull sound when struck.

   Similarmuffled, muted, flat

   Oppositeclear, resonant, ringing, sharp

7. 7
   adjective

   Slow and without much energy or life.

   He felt dull and tired after the heavy meal.

   The whole team seemed dull during the afternoon practice.

   Similarsluggish, lazy, idle, listless, inert

   Oppositebrisk, lively, energetic

   Note
8. 8
   adjective

   Cloudy and gray, with no sun.

   It was a dull, gray morning with no sun.

   The sky stayed dull all weekend.

   Similarovercast, cloudy, gray, gloomy, leaden

   Oppositebright, sunny, clear

9. 9
   verbtransitive

   To make a sharp edge or point less sharp.

   Like rubbing a sharp pencil tip until it goes blunt.

   Cutting cardboard will dull your scissors.

   He dulled the knife by using it on the stone counter.

   Similarblunt

   Oppositesharpen, hone, whet

10. 10
    verbintransitive

    To become less sharp over time.

    Like a pencil tip wearing down the more you write.

    Cheap knives dull very quickly.

    The blade will dull if you cut on glass.

    Similarblunt

    Note

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