dull

[duhl] /dʌl/
adjective, duller, dullest.
1.
not sharp; blunt:
a dull knife.
2.
causing boredom; tedious; uninteresting:
a dull sermon.
3.
not lively or spirited; listless.
4.
not bright, intense, or clear; dim:
a dull day; a dull sound.
5.
having very little depth of color; lacking in richness or intensity of color.
6.
slow in motion or action; not brisk; sluggish:
a dull day in the stock market.
7.
mentally slow; lacking brightness of mind; somewhat stupid; obtuse.
8.
lacking keenness of perception in the senses or feelings; insensible; unfeeling.
9.
not intense or acute:
a dull pain.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
10.
to make or become dull.
Origin
1200-50; Middle English; akin to Old English dol foolish, stupid; cognate with German toll
Related forms
dullness, dulness, noun
dully, adverb
undulled, adjective
Synonyms
1. Dull, blunt refer to the edge or point of an instrument, tool, or the like. Dull implies a lack or a loss of keenness or sharpness: a dull razor or saw. Blunt may mean the same or may refer to an edge or point not intended to be keen or sharp: a blunt or stub pen; a blunt foil. 2. boring, tiresome, dreary, vapid. 3. apathetic, torpid, inactive, inert. 7. unimaginative, unintelligent, stolid. Dull, blunted, slow, stupid are applied to mental qualities. Dull implies obtuseness, lack of imagination: a dull child. Blunted implies loss of original keenness of intelligence through disease, sad experience, or the like: blunted faculties. Slow applies to a sluggish intellect: a slow mind. Stupid implies slowness of mental processes, but also lack of intelligence, wisdom, prudence, etc.: a stupid person. 10. blunt, deaden, benumb; depress, dishearten, discourage.
Antonyms
1. sharp, keen. 2. interesting. 7. bright.
Examples from the web for dull
  • Nothing slows down a cook more or is more likely to cause injury than dull knives.
  • But it is also just a bit dull.
  • Never a dull moment around these parts.
  • Travel in Greenland can be frustrating, but never dull.
  • Berried plants make handsome focal points in the garden, adding bursts of color to otherwise dull spots.
  • He is not only dull himself, but the cause of dullness in others.
  • The pain is down to a dull roar if I don't move.
  • Compellingly dull would be another description.
  • Whatever caused the explosion, the tank gave out a dull roar, and then its two sides flew outward with a mighty blast.
  • And a little accent can sometimes lift something that's harmonious but dull to the level of a masterpiece.
British Dictionary definitions for dull

dull

/dʌl/
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.
(med) (of sound elicited by percussion, esp of the chest) not resonant
verb
12.
to make or become dull
Derived Forms
dullish, adjective
dullness, dulness, noun
dully, adverb
Word Origin
Old English dol; related to Old Norse dul conceit, Old High German tol foolish, Greek tholeros confused
Word Origin and History for dull
adj.

c.1200, "stupid;" early 13c., "blunt, not sharp;" rare before mid-14c., apparently from Old English dol "dull-witted, foolish," or an unrecorded parallel word, or from Middle Low German dul "slow-witted," both from Proto-Germanic *dulaz (cf. Old Frisian and Old Saxon dol "foolish," Old High German tol, German toll "mad, wild," Gothic dwals "foolish"), from PIE *dheu- (1) "dust, vapor, smoke" (and related notions of "defective perception or wits"). Of color from early 15c.; of pain or other sensations from 1725. Sense of "boring" first recorded 1580s.

dull. (8) Not exhilarating; not delightful; as to make dictionaries is dull work. [Johnson]
Dullsville, slang for "town where nothing happens," attested from 1960.

v.

c.1200, "to grow weary, tire;" of pointed or edged things from c.1400; of the senses from 1550s; from dull (adj.). Related: Dulled; dulling.

dull in Medicine

dull (dŭl)
adj. dull·er, dull·est

  1. Lacking responsiveness or alertness; insensitive.

  2. Not intensely or keenly felt, as in pain.

dull'ness n.
Idioms and Phrases with dull

dull

In addition to the idiom beginning with dull also see: never a dull moment