dullness
Use Dullness in a sentence
adjective
1.
not sharp; blunt: a dull knife.
2.
causing boredom; tedious; uninteresting: a dull sermon.
3.
not lively or spirited; listless.
4.
not bright, intense, or clear; dim: a dull day; a dull sound.
5.
having very little depth of color; lacking in richness or intensity of color.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
10.
to make or become dull.
00:10
Dullness
is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Origin:
1200–50; Middle English; akin to Old English dol foolish, stupid; cognate with German toll
1200–50; Middle English; akin to Old English dol foolish, stupid; cognate with German toll
Related forms
dull·ness, dul·ness, noun
dul·ly, adverb
un·dulled, adjective
Synonyms
1. Dull, blunt refer to the edge or point of an instrument, tool, or the like. Dull implies a lack or a loss of keenness or sharpness: a dull razor or saw. Blunt may mean the same or may refer to an edge or point not intended to be keen or sharp: a blunt or stub pen; a blunt foil. 2. boring, tiresome, dreary, vapid. 3. apathetic, torpid, inactive, inert. 7. unimaginative, unintelligent, stolid. Dull, blunted, slow, stupid are applied to mental qualities. Dull implies obtuseness, lack of imagination: a dull child. Blunted implies loss of original keenness of intelligence through disease, sad experience, or the like: blunted faculties. Slow applies to a sluggish intellect: a slow mind. Stupid implies slowness of mental processes, but also lack of intelligence, wisdom, prudence, etc.: a stupid person. 10. blunt, deaden, benumb; depress, dishearten, discourage.
1. Dull, blunt refer to the edge or point of an instrument, tool, or the like. Dull implies a lack or a loss of keenness or sharpness: a dull razor or saw. Blunt may mean the same or may refer to an edge or point not intended to be keen or sharp: a blunt or stub pen; a blunt foil. 2. boring, tiresome, dreary, vapid. 3. apathetic, torpid, inactive, inert. 7. unimaginative, unintelligent, stolid. Dull, blunted, slow, stupid are applied to mental qualities. Dull implies obtuseness, lack of imagination: a dull child. Blunted implies loss of original keenness of intelligence through disease, sad experience, or the like: blunted faculties. Slow applies to a sluggish intellect: a slow mind. Stupid implies slowness of mental processes, but also lack of intelligence, wisdom, prudence, etc.: a stupid person. 10. blunt, deaden, benumb; depress, dishearten, discourage.
Antonyms
1. sharp, keen. 2. interesting. 7. bright.
1. sharp, keen. 2. interesting. 7. bright.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To dullness
Collins
World English Dictionary
dull (dʌl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | slow to think or understand; stupid |
| 2. | lacking in interest |
| 3. | lacking in perception or the ability to respond; insensitive |
| 4. | lacking sharpness; blunt |
| 5. | not acute, intense, or piercing |
| 6. | (of weather) not bright or clear; cloudy |
| 7. | not active, busy, or brisk |
| 8. | lacking in spirit or animation; listless |
| 9. | (of colour) lacking brilliance or brightness; sombre |
| 10. | not loud or clear; muffled |
| 11. | med (of sound elicited by percussion, esp of the chest) not resonant |
| —vb | |
| 12. | to make or become dull |
| [Old English dol; related to Old Norse dul conceit, Old High German tol foolish, Greek tholeros confused] | |
| 'dullish | |
| —adj | |
| 'dullness | |
| —n | |
| 'dulness | |
| —n | |
| 'dully | |
| —adv | |
| dull (dʌl) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | slow to think or understand; stupid |
| 2. | lacking in interest |
| 3. | lacking in perception or the ability to respond; insensitive |
| 4. | lacking sharpness; blunt |
| 5. | not acute, intense, or piercing |
| 6. | (of weather) not bright or clear; cloudy |
| 7. | not active, busy, or brisk |
| 8. | lacking in spirit or animation; listless |
| 9. | (of colour) lacking brilliance or brightness; sombre |
| 10. | not loud or clear; muffled |
| 11. | med (of sound elicited by percussion, esp of the chest) not resonant |
| —vb | |
| 12. | to make or become dull |
| [Old English dol; related to Old Norse dul conceit, Old High German tol foolish, Greek tholeros confused] | |
| 'dullish | |
| —adj | |
| 'dullness | |
| —n | |
| 'dulness | |
| —n | |
| 'dully | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
dull
M.E., but rare before mid-14c., apparently from O.E. dol "dull-witted, foolish," or from M.L.G. dul "slow-witted," both from P.Gmc. *dulaz. Of color from early 15c.; of pain or other sensations from 1725. Sense of "boring" first recorded 1580s. Dullsville, slang for "town where nothing happens," attested
from 1960.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
dull (dŭl)
adj. dull·er, dull·est
Lacking responsiveness or alertness; insensitive.
Not intensely or keenly felt, as in pain.
dull'ness n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Dogged by dullness and variable quality, they have been losing money for years.
But he must have attained his present state of dullness by persistent effort.
But the dullness of his professional life and his pursuit of bourgeois comfort didn't limit his imagination or cramp his style.
Without the contrast of allegretto and andante, piano and forte, the music would quickly sink into deadly dullness.
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