dull´ness

dull´ness: dull «duhl», adjective, verb.

–adj.

1. not sharp or pointed; blunt: »It is hard to cut with a dull knife.

2. not bright or clear; lacking in vividness, brightness, or intensity: »a dull sound, a dull green, a dull day of rain.
SYNONYM(S): obscure, dim, indistinct, cloudy, gloomy, overcast.

3. slow to understand; stupid: »The child had a dull mind.
SYNONYM(S): obtuse, doltish. See syn. under stupid. (Cf. ↑stupid)

4. having little feeling; insensitive: »You never would hear it; your ears are so dull (Tennyson).
SYNONYM(S): insensible, unfeeling.

5. not felt sharply; vague; indistinct: »The dull pain of a bruise.

6. not interesting; tiresome; boring: »a dull joke. History no longer shall be a dull book (Emerson).
SYNONYM(S): uninteresting, colorless, tedious.

7. having little life, energy, or spirit; not active; sluggish: »a dull fire. The fur coat business is usually dull in the summer. This is the dull season for automobiles.
SYNONYM(S): inert, stagnant, lifeless, slow, inactive.

8. not much in demand; not easily salable: »Flour is dull at $7.30 (Thomas Jefferson).

9. lacking zest; depressed; sad: »You are dull tonight; prithee be merry (Sir Richard Steele).
SYNONYM(S): listless, downcast.

–v.t.

to make dull: »Chopping wood dulled the ax. Figurative. Men have dulled their eyes with sin (Henry Van Dyke).

–v.i.

to become dull: »This cheap knife dulls very easily.

╂[Middle English dul, related to Old English dol dull-witted]

–dull´ness,

–dul´ness, noun.

Synonym Study adjective. 1 Dull, blunt mean without a sharp edge or point. Dull suggests that the object described has lost the sharpness it had or is not as sharp as it should be: »This knife is dull.
Blunt suggests that the edge or point is not intended to be sharp or keen: »The blunt side of a knife will not cut meat. The weapon was a blunt instrument, possibly a poker.

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dull — dull; dull·ish; dull·ness; … English syllables
dull — [[t]dʌl[/t]] adj., dull•er, dull•est, v. 1) not sharp; blunt: a dull knife[/ex] 2) uninteresting: a dull sermon[/ex] 3) not lively or spirited; listless 4) not bright, intense, or clear; dim: a dull day; a dull sound[/ex] 5) having very little… … From formal English to slang
dull — Not sharp or acute, in any sense; qualifying a surgical instrument, the action of the mind, pain, a sound (especially the percussion note), etc. [M.E. dul] * * * dull dəl adj 1) … Medical dictionary
dull´-wit´ted|ness — dull wit|ted «DUHL WIHT ihd», adjective. stupid: »The trick at this point is to create just enough confusion to get the dull witted to sharpen up their minds (New Yorker). –dull´ wit´ted|ness, noun … Useful english dictionary
dull-wit|ted — «DUHL WIHT ihd», adjective. stupid: »The trick at this point is to create just enough confusion to get the dull witted to sharpen up their minds (New Yorker). –dull´ wit´ted|ness, noun … Useful english dictionary
dul´ness — dull «duhl», adjective, verb. –adj. 1. not sharp or pointed; blunt: »It is hard to cut with a dull knife. 2. not bright or clear; lacking in vividness, brightness, or intensity: »a dull sound, a dull green, a dull day of rain. SYNONYM(S): obscure … Useful english dictionary
blunt´ness — blunt «bluhnt», adjective, verb. –adj. 1. without a sharp edge or point: »He sharpened the blunt knife. SYNONYM(S): See syn. under dull. (Cf. ↑dull) 2. Figurative. saying what one thinks very frankly, without trying to be tactful; outspoken; … Useful english dictionary
drab´ness — drab1 «drab», adjective, drab|ber, drab|best, noun, verb,drabbed, drab|bing. –adj. 1. lacking brightness or color; not attractive; … Useful english dictionary
stu´pid|ness — stu|pid «STOO pihd, STYOO », adjective, noun. –adj. 1. not intelligent; dull: »a stupid person, a stupid remark. 2. not interesting; tiresome; boring: »a stupid book, to have a stupid time. SYNONYM(S): vapid. 3 … Useful english dictionary
hum´drum´ness — hum|drum «HUHM DRUHM», adjective, noun, verb, drummed, drum|ming. –adj. without variety; commonplace; dull: »a humdrum existence. SYNONYM(S): boring, monotonous. –n. 1. humdrum routine; … Useful english dictionary

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dull´ness

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dull´ness

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