'Dull' definitions:

Definition of 'dull'

(from WordNet)
adjective
Lacking in liveliness or animation; "he was so dull at parties"; "a dull political campaign"; "a large dull impassive man"; "dull days with nothing to do"; "how dull and dreary the world is"; "fell back into one of her dull moods" [ant: lively]
adjective
Emitting or reflecting very little light; "a dull glow"; "dull silver badly in need of a polish"; "a dull sky" [ant: bright]
adjective
Being or made softer or less loud or clear; "the dull boom of distant breaking waves"; "muffled drums"; "the muffled noises of the street"; "muted trumpets" [syn: dull, muffled, muted, softened]
adjective
So lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness; "a boring evening with uninteresting people"; "the deadening effect of some routine tasks"; "a dull play"; "his competent but dull performance"; "a ho-hum speaker who couldn't capture their attention"; "what an irksome task the writing of long letters is"- Edmund Burke; "tedious days on the train"; "the tiresome chirping of a cricket"- Mark Twain; "other people's dreams are dreadfully wearisome" [syn: boring, deadening, dull, ho-hum, irksome, slow, tedious, tiresome, wearisome]
adjective
(of color) very low in saturation; highly diluted; "dull greens and blues"
adjective
Not keenly felt; "a dull throbbing"; "dull pain" [ant: sharp]
adjective
Slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; "so dense he never understands anything I say to him"; "never met anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick"- Thackeray; "dumb officials make some really dumb decisions"; "he was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse"; "worked with the slow students" [syn: dense, dim, dull, dumb, obtuse, slow]
adjective
(of business) not active or brisk; "business is dull (or slow)"; "a sluggish market" [syn: dull, slow, sluggish]
adjective
Not having a sharp edge or point; "the knife was too dull to be of any use" [ant: sharp]
adjective
Blunted in responsiveness or sensibility; "a dull gaze"; "so exhausted she was dull to what went on about her"- Willa Cather
adjective
Not clear and resonant; sounding as if striking with or against something relatively soft; "the dull thud"; "thudding bullets" [syn: dull, thudding]
adjective
Darkened with overcast; "a dark day"; "a dull sky"; "the sky was leaden and thick" [syn: dull, leaden]
verb
Make dull in appearance; "Age had dulled the surface"
verb
Become dull or lusterless in appearance; lose shine or brightness; "the varnished table top dulled with time"
verb
Deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping [syn: muffle, mute, dull, damp, dampen, tone down]
verb
Make numb or insensitive; "The shock numbed her senses" [syn: numb, benumb, blunt, dull]
verb
Make dull or blunt; "Too much cutting dulls the knife's edge" [syn: dull, blunt] [ant: sharpen]
verb
Become less interesting or attractive [syn: pall, dull]
verb
Make less lively or vigorous; "Middle age dulled her appetite for travel"

Definition of 'Dull'

From: GCIDE
  • Dull \Dull\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Duller; p. pr. & vb. n. Dulling.]
  • 1. To deprive of sharpness of edge or point. "This . . . dulled their swords." --Bacon. [1913 Webster]
  • Borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. To make dull, stupid, or sluggish; to stupefy, as the senses, the feelings, the perceptions, and the like. [1913 Webster]
  • Those [drugs] she has Will stupefy and dull the sense a while. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • Use and custom have so dulled our eyes. --Trench. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. To render dim or obscure; to sully; to tarnish. "Dulls the mirror." --Bacon. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. To deprive of liveliness or activity; to render heavy; to make inert; to depress; to weary; to sadden. [1913 Webster]
  • Attention of mind . . . wasted or dulled through continuance. --Hooker. [1913 Webster]

Definition of 'Dull'

From: GCIDE
  • Dull \Dull\, a. [Compar. Duller; superl. Dullest.] [AS. dol foolish; akin to gedwelan to err, D. dol mad, dwalen to wander, err, G. toll mad, Goth. dwals foolish, stupid, cf. Gr. ? turbid, troubled, Skr. dhvr to cause to fall. Cf. Dolt, Dwale, Dwell, Fraud.]
  • 1. Slow of understanding; wanting readiness of apprehension; stupid; doltish; blockish. "Dull at classical learning." --Thackeray. [1913 Webster]
  • She is not bred so dull but she can learn. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. Slow in action; sluggish; unready; awkward. [1913 Webster]
  • This people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing. --Matt. xiii. 15. [1913 Webster]
  • O, help my weak wit and sharpen my dull tongue. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. Insensible; unfeeling. [1913 Webster]
  • Think me not So dull a devil to forget the loss Of such a matchless wife. -- Beau. & Fl. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. Not keen in edge or point; lacking sharpness; blunt. "Thy scythe is dull." --Herbert. [1913 Webster]
  • 5. Not bright or clear to the eye; wanting in liveliness of color or luster; not vivid; obscure; dim; as, a dull fire or lamp; a dull red or yellow; a dull mirror. [1913 Webster]
  • 6. Heavy; gross; cloggy; insensible; spiritless; lifeless; inert. "The dull earth." --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • As turning the logs will make a dull fire burn, so changes of study a dull brain. -- Longfellow. [1913 Webster]
  • 7. Furnishing little delight, spirit, or variety; uninteresting; tedious; cheerless; gloomy; melancholy; depressing; as, a dull story or sermon; a dull occupation or period; hence, cloudy; overcast; as, a dull day. [1913 Webster]
  • Along life's dullest, dreariest walk. -- Keble.
  • Syn: Lifeless; inanimate; dead; stupid; doltish; heavy; sluggish; sleepy; drowsy; gross; cheerless; tedious; irksome; dismal; dreary; clouded; tarnished; obtuse. See Lifeless. [1913 Webster]

Definition of 'Dull'

From: GCIDE
  • Dull \Dull\, v. i. To become dull or stupid. --Rom. of R. [1913 Webster]

Synonyms of 'dull'

From: Moby Thesaurus

Words containing 'Dull'