Word Games Pro Dictionary
dull
(of business) not active or brisk
Quick reference
Word Facts
- Word length
- 4
- Starts with
- D
- Ends with
- L
- Contains
- UL
- Scrabble score
- 5
- Database source
- OEWN 2025 Core
How it sounds
Pronunciation
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Audio Pronunciation
Meaning
Definitions
adjective
(of business) not active or brisk
“business is dull (or slow)”
adjective
emitting or reflecting very little light
“a dull glow”
adjective
(of color) very low in saturation; highly diluted
“dull greens and blues”
adjective
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
“so dense he never understands anything I say to him”
adjective
darkened with overcast
“a dull sky”
adjective
not having a sharp edge or point
“the knife was too dull to be of any use”
adjective
not keenly felt
“a dull throbbing”
adjective
lacking in liveliness or animation
“he was so dull at parties”
adjective
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
“a boring evening with uninteresting people”
adjective
being or made softer or less loud or clear
“the dull boom of distant breaking waves”
adjective
not clear and resonant; sounding as if striking with or against something relatively soft
“the dull thud”
adjective
blunted in responsiveness or sensibility
“a dull gaze”
verb
make less lively or vigorous
“Middle age dulled her appetite for travel”
verb
become dull or lusterless in appearance; lose shine or brightness
“the varnished table top dulled with time”
verb
become less interesting or attractive
verb
make dull in appearance
“Age had dulled the surface”
verb
make dull or blunt
“Too much cutting dulls the knife's edge”
verb
make numb or insensitive
“The shock numbed her senses”
verb
deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping
In context
Example Sentences
business is dull (or slow)
a sluggish market
a dull glow
dull silver badly in need of a polish
a dull sky
dull greens and blues
so dense he never understands anything I say to him
never met anyone quite so dim
{'source': 'Thackeray', 'text': 'although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick'}
dumb officials make some really dumb decisions
he was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse
the sky was leaden and thick
the knife was too dull to be of any use
a dull throbbing
dull pain
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
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
the dull boom of distant breaking waves
muffled drums
the muffled noises of the street
muted trumpets
the dull thud
thudding bullets
a dull gaze
{'source': 'Willa Cather', 'text': 'so exhausted she was dull to what went on about her'}
Middle age dulled her appetite for travel
the varnished table top dulled with time
Age had dulled the surface
Too much cutting dulls the knife's edge
The shock numbed her senses
Similar words
Synonyms
Opposite words