English Dictionary

Definition of “dull”

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Word Frequency

Word Frequency of dull

dull (dʌl Pronunciation for dull ) 

Definitions

adjective

  1. slow to think or understand; stupid
  2. lacking in interest
  3. lacking in perception or the ability to respond; insensitive
  4. lacking sharpness; blunt
  5. not acute, intense, or piercing
  6. (of weather) not bright or clear; cloudy
  7. not active, busy, or brisk
  8. lacking in spirit or animation; listless
  9. (of colour) lacking brilliance or brightness; sombre
  10. not loud or clear; muffled
  11. (medicine) (of sound elicited by percussion, esp of the chest) not resonant

verb

  1. to make or become dull

Derived Forms

ˈdullish adjective
ˈdullness, ˈdulness noun
ˈdully adverb

Word Origin

Old English dol; related to Old Norse dul conceit, Old High German tol foolish, Greek tholeros confused

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry
= boring, tedious, dreary, flat, dry, plain, commonplace, tiresome, monotonous, prosaic, run-of-the-mill, humdrum, unimaginative, dozy, uninteresting, mind-numbing, ho-hum, vapid, as dry as dust,
= lifeless, dead, heavy, slow, indifferent, sluggish, insensitive, apathetic, listless, unresponsive, passionless, insensible,
= drab, faded, muted, subdued, feeble, murky, sombre, toned-down, subfusc
= cloudy, dim, gloomy, dismal, overcast, leaden, turbid,
= muted, faint, suppressed, subdued, stifled, muffled, indistinct
= stupid, simple, slow, thick, naive, dim, dense, dumb, daft, sluggish, deficient, crass, gullible, simple-minded, dozy, witless, stolid, dopey, moronic, obtuse, brainless, cretinous, unintelligent, half-witted, slow on the uptake, braindead, dumb-ass, doltish, dead from the neck up, thickheaded, dim-witted, slow-witted, Boeotian, thick as mince, woodenheaded,
= blunt, dulled, blunted, not keen, not sharp, edgeless, unsharpened,
= relieve, blunt, lessen, moderate, soften, alleviate, allay, mitigate, assuage, take the edge off, palliate
= cloud over, darken, grow dim, become cloudy
= dampen, reduce, check, depress, moderate, discourage, stifle, lessen, smother, sadden, dishearten, dispirit, deject
= cloud, fade, stain, obscure, dim, darken, tarnish, sully

Translations for 'dull'

  • British English: dullPronunciation for dull Something that is dull is not interesting.That was a very dull book.dʌl ADJECTIVEboring
  • Arabic: مـُمِلّPronunciation for مـُمِلّ
  • Brazilian Portuguese: desinteressantePronunciation for desinteressante
  • Chinese: 乏味的Pronunciation for 乏味的
  • Croatian: dosadanPronunciation for dosadan
  • Czech: nezáživnýPronunciation for nezáživný
  • Danish: kedeligPronunciation for kedelig
  • Dutch: saaiPronunciation for saai
  • European Spanish: aburridoPronunciation for aburrido
  • Finnish: tylsäPronunciation for tylsä
  • French: ennuyeuxPronunciation for ennuyeux ennuyeuse
  • German: langweiligPronunciation for langweilig
  • Greek: πληκτικόςPronunciation for πληκτικός πληκτική
  • Italian: monotonoPronunciation for monotono monotona
  • Japanese: 面白くないPronunciation for 面白くない
  • Korean: 단조로운Pronunciation for 단조로운
  • Norwegian: mattPronunciation for matt
  • Polish: nudnyPronunciation for nudny nudna
  • Portuguese: desinteressantePronunciation for desinteressante
  • Romanian: plictisitor plictisitor, plictisitoare, plictisitori, plictisitoare
  • Russian: скучныйPronunciation for скучный
  • Spanish: aburridoPronunciation for aburrido aburrida
  • Swedish: tråkigPronunciation for tråkig tråkigt
  • Thai: น่าเบื่อPronunciation for น่าเบื่อ
  • Turkish: sıkıcıPronunciation for sıkıcı
  • Ukrainian: нецікавий
  • Vietnamese: buồn tẻPronunciation for buồn tẻ
  • British English: dulldʌl A dull colour is not bright.He wore a dull green jacket. ADJECTIVEcolour
  • Arabic: غَيْرُ لامِع
  • Brazilian Portuguese: opaco opaca
  • Chinese: 暗的颜色
  • Croatian: bezbojan
  • Czech: tlumenýsvětlo, barva
  • Danish: trist
  • Dutch: mat
  • European Spanish: apagado
  • Finnish: haalea
  • French: terne
  • German: matt
  • Greek: θαμπός θαμπή
  • Italian: opaco opaca
  • Japanese: くすんだ
  • Korean: 칙칙한
  • Norwegian: matt
  • Polish: poszarzały poszarzała
  • Portuguese: opaco
  • Romanian: mat mat, mată, mați, mate
  • Russian: темный
  • Spanish: apagado apagada
  • Swedish: matt
  • Thai: มัว ทึม
  • Turkish: soluk
  • Ukrainian: тьмяний
  • Vietnamese: xỉn màu
  • British English: dull If something dulls or if it is dulled, it becomes less intense, bright, or lively. VERBHer eyes dulled and she gazed blankly.
  • Brazilian Portuguese: desanimar
  • Chinese: 变得无生气变變得无無生气氣
  • European Spanish: apagarse
  • French: devenir terne
  • German: sich trüben
  • Italian: spegnersi
  • Japanese: 鈍くする/鈍くなる
  • Korean: 흐려지다
  • Portuguese: desanimar
  • Spanish: apagarse

Example Sentences Including 'dull'

Dr Keller indicated several dull yellow hoops that he assumed were earrings.
Stuart Harrison LOST SUMMER (2002)
Genial blighters they may be, but tracks like the instantly dull 'Mr Music ' only serve to undermine their onstage enthusiasm.
NME (New Musical Express) (2003)
He kept them even when they dried into dull browns and greys.
Tracy Chevalier THE VIRGIN BLUE (2002)
I could hear the low rumble of the motor, the dull bass of a supercharged monster.
Stuart Harrison BETTER THAN THIS (2002)
Imagine an eight-year-old boy's bedroom in a dull suburb of a provincial English town.
Glasgow Herald (2001)
Mostly, he delivers it in flat tones; like a dull , grey machine.
Glasgow Herald (2001)
She had never been stuck in a dull suburban backwater like this.
Peter Robinson AFTERMATH (2001)
She has just broken up with the "lovely, talented, sadly dull Raoul.
Globe and Mail (2003)
The game, though, was ragged and often dull , with possession cheaply lost and inspiration limited.
Irish Times (2002)

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