Word Explorer

Dull

/dəl/

To render dull; to remove or blunt an edge or something that was sharp.

📖 Definitions of "Dull"

verb

1
To render dull; to remove or blunt an edge or something that was sharp.
"Years of misuse have dulled the tools."
2
To soften, moderate or blunt; to make dull, stupid, or sluggish; to stupefy.
"He drinks to dull the pain."
3
To lose a sharp edge; to become dull.
"A razor will dull with use."
4
To render dim or obscure; to sully; to tarnish.

adjective

1
Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp.
"All these knives are dull."
2
Boring; not exciting or interesting.
"He sat through the dull lecture and barely stayed awake."
3
Not shiny; having a matte finish or no particular luster or brightness.
"Choose a dull finish to hide fingerprints."
4
Not bright or intelligent; stupid; having slow understanding.

30 synonyms found via WordNet and Google Books.

Word	Definition
softnoun	Easily giving way under pressure.
obtuseverb	Intellectually dull or dim-witted.
drabnoun	(by extension) A dull or uninteresting appearance or situation, unremarkable.
heavynoun	(of any physical thing) Having great weight.
bluntnoun	Having a thick edge or point; not sharp.
dimnoun	Not bright or colorful.
tedious	Boring, monotonous, time-consuming, wearisome, livelong.
muted	(of a sound) Quiet or soft.
pallnoun	A heavy cloth laid over a coffin or tomb; a shroud laid over a corpse.
densenoun	Having relatively high density.
irksome	Marked by irritation or annoyance; disagreeable; troublesome by reason of long continuance or repetition
arid	Very dry.
stupidnoun	Without intelligence.
flatnoun	Having no variations in height.
sluggish	Slow; having little motion.
monotonous	Tedious, repetitious, or lacking in variety.
leadenverb	Pertaining to or resembling lead; grey, heavy, sluggish.
humdrumnoun	Lacking variety or excitement; dull; boring.
drearynoun	Drab; dark, colorless, or cheerless.
lacklusternoun	(figurative) Not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality.
desiccated	dried
mutenoun	Not having the power of speech; dumb.
dampverb	In a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist.
muffled	(of a sound) Stifled or covered up; diminished by interference.
wearisome	Tiresome, tedious or causing fatigue.

Words with the opposite meaning.

Word	Definition
sharpnoun	Terminating in a point or edge, especially one that can cut or pierce easily; not dull, obtuse, or rounded.
brightnoun	Emitting much light; visually dazzling; luminous, lucent, radiant.
sharpenverb	(transitive, sometimes figurative) To make sharp.
livelynoun	Full of life; energetic, vivacious.

Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.

Word	Definition
bluntnoun	Having a thick edge or point; not sharp.
ho-hum	(dated, US, Canada) Boring; not interesting or novel.
humdrumnoun	Lacking variety or excitement; dull; boring.
benumbverb	(transitive) To make numb, as by cold or anesthetic.
sluggish	Slow; having little motion.
uninteresting	Arousing little or no interest; boring or uneventful.
dumb	(informal, derogatory, especially of a person) Stupid.
drabnoun	(by extension) A dull or uninteresting appearance or situation, unremarkable.
numb	Physically unable to feel, not having the power of sensation.
lackluster	(figurative) Not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality.
lacklustre	(Commonwealth spelling) Alternative spelling of lackluster. [Lacking brilliance or intelligence.]
deadeningnoun	The process by which something is deadened.
lustrelessnoun	(chiefly British spelling) Alternative spelling of lusterless. [Without luster, dull, not shiny, flat or matte finished.]
stupid	Without intelligence.
mute	Not having the power of speech; dumb.
tedious	Boring, monotonous, time-consuming, wearisome, livelong.
muffled	(of a sound) Stifled or covered up; diminished by interference.
insensitive	Expressing or feeling little or no concern, care, compassion, or consideration for the feelings, emotions, sentiments, or concerns of other people; inconsiderate or incompassionate.
muted	(of a sound) Quiet or soft.
inactive	Not active, temporarily or permanently.