dull
pronunciation
How to pronounce dull in British English:
UK [dʌl]
How to pronounce dull in American English:
US [dʌl]
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- Verb:
- make dull in appearance
- become dull or lusterless in appearance; lose shine or brightness
- deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping
- make numb or insensitive
- make dull or blunt
- become less interesting or attractive
- make less lively or vigorous
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- Adjective:
- lacking in liveliness or animation
- emitting or reflecting very little light
- being or made softer or less loud or clear
- so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
- (of color) very low in saturation; highly diluted
- not keenly felt
- slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
- (of business) not active or brisk
- not having a sharp edge or point
- blunted in responsiveness or sensibility
- not clear and resonant; sounding as if striking with or against something relatively soft
- darkened with overcast
Word Origin
- dull
- dull: [13] Dull originally meant ‘slow-witted’. It was borrowed from Middle Low German dul, a descendant of the prehistoric Germanic adjective *dulaz, which also produced German toll and Old English dol ‘stupid’ (the Old English adjective does not seem to have survived beyond the 10th century). The modern meaning ‘boring’ developed in the 15th century. The now littleused dullard [15] is a derivative (reflecting the adjective’s original sense), as also is probably dolt [16].=> dolt
- dull (adj.)
- c. 1200, "stupid;" early 13c., "blunt, not sharp;" rare before mid-14c., apparently from Old English dol "dull-witted, foolish," or an unrecorded parallel word, or from Middle Low German dul "slow-witted," both from Proto-Germanic *dulaz (cognates: Old Frisian and Old Saxon dol "foolish," Old High German tol, German toll "mad, wild," Gothic dwals "foolish"), from PIE *dheu- (1) "dust, vapor, smoke" (and related notions of "defective perception or wits"). Of color from early 15c.; of pain or other sensations from 1725. Sense of "boring" first recorded 1580s. dull. (8) Not exhilarating; not delightful; as to make dictionaries is dull work. [Johnson] Dullsville, slang for "town where nothing happens," attested from 1960.
- dull (v.)
- c. 1200, "to grow weary, tire;" of pointed or edged things from c. 1400; of the senses from 1550s; from dull (adj.). Related: Dulled; dulling.
Example
- 1. The chairman leavened the dull meeting with a few jokes .
- 2. And life would be very dull without it .
- 3. Such monochrome types are dull and lack balance .
- 4. Is there no alternative to this dull drip-drip of austerity ?
- 5. Sure just prolong the dull ache of loneliness instead .