# dull

Pronunciation: US say "DUL" /dʌl/; UK

## Adjective

1. Lacking excitement or interest; tedious enough to make time seem to drag.
   - Simple: Not fun or interesting, making people feel bored.
   - _The lecture was dull and dragged on for nearly two hours._
   - _Critics dismissed the novel as dull despite its promising premise._
2. Lacking a keen cutting edge; not sharp, so it cuts only with difficulty.
   - Simple: Not sharp, and too blunt to cut things easily.
   - _A dull blade requires far more force to cut through meat._
   - _He sharpened the dull axe before splitting the firewood._
3. Not shiny; having a matte surface with no particular luster or brightness.
   - Simple: Not shiny, with no shine or bright look.
   - _The paint dried to a dull finish rather than a glossy sheen._
   - _Tarnish left the antique silver looking dull and grayish._
4. Not bright or quick-witted; slow to grasp ideas and understand things.
   - Simple: Not clever, and slow at learning or understanding things.
   - _Critics unfairly judged the boy as dull when he was merely shy._
   - _A dull student often just needs more time and patience._
5. Not intense; felt faintly or only slightly, as a sensation or pain.
   - Simple: Not strong or sharp, felt only a little.
   - _A dull throb settled behind her eyes as the day wore on._
   - _He ignored the dull discomfort in his shoulder and kept working._
6. Of a sound, muffled and lacking clarity or resonance, as if heard through a barrier.
   - Simple: Of a sound, soft and muffled, not clear or sharp.
   - _A dull thump echoed as the heavy box hit the floor._
   - _The cracked bell gave only a dull clang._
7. Sluggish and listless; moving or proceeding slowly, with little energy or liveliness.
   - Simple: Slow and without much energy or life.
   - _Trade was dull through the long summer months._
   - _She woke feeling dull and heavy-limbed after a restless night._
8. Overcast and cloudy; gray throughout, with little or no sunshine breaking through.
   - Simple: Cloudy and gray, with no sun.
   - _A dull November sky hung low over the city._
   - _The day turned dull as thick clouds rolled in._
11. Feeling bored, low, or down in spirits; lacking cheer or liveliness.
   - Simple: Feeling sad and bored, low in spirits.
   - _The long, rainy days left him feeling dull and dispirited._
   - _After the holidays ended, the children grew dull and restless._
13. Insensible and unfeeling; no longer responsive to emotion or to physical sensation.
   - Simple: Not able to feel things, with no feeling left.
   - _Years of hardship had made him dull to others' suffering._
   - _Her skin grew dull to the cold as the night wore on._
14. Heavy and lifeless; inert, lacking any spring, movement, or animating energy.
   - Simple: Heavy and without life or movement.
   - _A dull, lifeless weight seemed to settle over the whole room._
   - _The lead ball felt dull and inert in his palm._

## Verb

9. To take the sharpness off a blade or edge; to blunt something that was sharp.
   - Simple: To make a sharp edge or point less sharp.
   - _Cutting through bone can dull even a high-quality blade._
   - _He dulled the chisel by striking a hidden nail._
10. To lose a sharp edge; to become blunt through use or wear.
   - Simple: To become less sharp over time.
   - _Even good blades dull after months of daily use._
   - _The axe dulled noticeably after a long day of chopping._
12. To soften or weaken something; to make the mind, senses, or feelings slow, numb, or sluggish.
   - Simple: To make a feeling, the mind, or the senses weaker or slower.
   - _Long isolation can dull even the sharpest mind._
   - _The sedative dulled her senses within moments._
15. To make dim or obscure; to tarnish, sully, or take the brightness from something.
   - Simple: To make something dim, dirty, or less bright.
   - _Decades of grime had dulled the once-bright frescoes._
   - _Years of soot can dull the gleam of a copper roof._

## Origin

From Middle English 'dull', from Old English 'dol' ("dull, foolish, silly, presumptuous"), which came through Proto-West Germanic and Proto-Germanic forms from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to dim, dull, cloud, or make obscure." It is related to Dutch 'dol' ("crazy, mad"), German 'toll' ("crazy, wild"), and Scots 'dull' ("slow to understand").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dull (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).