dulled

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of dull.

   The thick fog dulled every sound across the harbor.

   Repeated washing had dulled the bright colors of the shirt.

   Note

   One spelling covers every tense the verb needs, and the verb runs both ways. A cause can dull something (the fog dulled every sound), or an edge can dull by itself (the blade dulled within a season). Only the first can turn passive: the colors were dulled by washing. After be with no cause in view, it drifts toward the plain adjective, which takes more and most.

   The old kitchen knife dulled after a single season of daily use.

   The once-vivid curtains were dulled by years of afternoon sun.

2. 2
   adjective

   Reduced in sharpness, brightness, or intensity from a former state.

   Like a knife edge worn smooth after years of use.

   The dulled gleam of the antique mirror suggested decades of neglect.

   His enthusiasm seemed dulled by the long, gray winter.

   Similarfaded, blunted, muted, diminished

   Oppositeheightened, sharpened

Showing meanings only. Show all 2