Comprehensive
Dictionary Suite
Help
Help
Help
 
     
Lookup History
dull

dull

 
 
pronunciation:
duhl
parts of speech:
adjective, transitive verb, intransitive verb
features:
Word Combinations (adjective, verb), Word Explorer
part of speech: adjective
inflections: duller, dullest
definition 1: lacking in interest, originality, or liveliness; boring.
I found myself daydreaming during his dull speech.It was a dull party, so we went home early.
synonyms:
boring, tedious, uninteresting
antonyms:
bubbly, charming, clever, exciting, fascinating, glamorous, interesting, juicy, lively, piquant, racy, scintillating, scintillating, sensational, thrilling, vibrant
similar words:
arid, barren, bland, blank, colorless, dead, dreary, dry, flat, humdrum, innocuous, insipid, lifeless, monotonous, neutral, pallid, ponderous, prosaic, slack, tame, tiresome, uneventful, unoriginal, vapid, wearisome
definition 2: having a blunt cutting edge.
The dull sword needed sharpening.
synonyms:
blunt
antonyms:
keen, sharp
similar words:
obtuse, pointless
definition 3: deficient in mental ability; unintelligent.
These students are not dull; they simply need motivating.
synonyms:
dense, dimwitted, slow, stupid, thick, unintelligent
antonyms:
bright, clever, keen, nimble, sharp, smart
similar words:
blunt, bovine, imbecile, simple, witless
definition 4: persistent but not intense.
While the pain was still dull, I ignored it.
synonyms:
nagging
antonyms:
intense, sharp
similar words:
chronic, persistent
definition 5: lacking in receptiveness, appreciation, or alertness.
The performers were tired of playing to dull audiences.
synonyms:
unappreciative, unreceptive
antonyms:
acute, appreciative, clever, lively
similar words:
apathetic, blank, indifferent, obtuse, phlegmatic, torpid, unresponsive
definition 6: lacking in variety or intensity of color or brightness.
I feel lifeless on dull, rainy afternoons like this.The room was painted a dull gray.
synonyms:
dim, drab
antonyms:
bright, colorful, gay, vivid
similar words:
colorless, dingy, dismal, dreary, flat, lackluster, lowering, lusterless, monotonous, pale, pallid
definition 7: muffled, low, or indistinct in sound.
The villagers could hear the dull roar of distant cannon.
synonyms:
low, muffled
antonyms:
distinct, resonant, sharp
similar words:
deadened, indistinct
definition 8: not shiny or lustrous; matte.
Our hair tends to become dull as we age.
synonyms:
matte
antonyms:
glossy, lustrous, polished, shiny
similar words:
lackluster, opaque
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
 
part of speech: transitive verb
inflections: dulls, dulling, dulled
definition: to cause to become dull.
Rust has dulled the knife.
synonyms:
blunt, hebetate
antonyms:
brighten, enliven, hone, quicken, sharpen, whet
similar words:
blur, deaden, ease, palliate, stale
 
part of speech: intransitive verb
definition: to become dull.
My creativity seems to have dulled over the years.
synonyms:
sharpen, stale
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
derivations: dullish (adj.), dully (adv.), dullness (n.)
Word Explorer
See
  character, personality, sense