Dull (Adjective)
Meaning 1
Emitting or reflecting very little light; "a dull glow"; "dull silver badly in need of a polish"; "a dull sky".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The lantern gave off a dull light, making it hard to navigate through the dense forest.
- Her dull grey dress matched the dismal mood she was in all day.
- The beautiful but worn furniture looked dull until they refinished it with new stain and varnish.
- Dull lead-coloured waves gently lapped at the dark shoreline as night approached.
- Despite scrubbing and waxing the headlights for a solid hour they remained rather dull with milky glazes impairing our road safety after the highway auto wrecks led with dust peering or poor automotive knowledge our dark town history then resulting police finally sent alerts calling awareness..
Antonyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
(of business) not active or brisk; "business is dull (or slow)"; "a sluggish market".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The company's sales have been dull for months, and they're struggling to stay afloat.
- The tourist season was dull this year, with many hotels and resorts reporting low occupancy rates.
- The economy has been dull for years, with slow growth and high unemployment.
- The market for luxury goods has been dull lately, with many high-end retailers reporting declining sales.
- The dull period for the airline industry has been exacerbated by rising fuel costs and increased competition.
Synonyms
Meaning 3
Not keenly felt; "a dull throbbing"; "dull pain".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The patient complained of a dull ache in her lower back that had been bothering her for days.
- After the initial shock wore off, the pain became a dull throb that she could manage with medication.
- The dull pressure in his head made it hard for him to concentrate on his work.
- The doctor described the sensation as a dull tingling that would eventually subside on its own.
- The dull soreness in her muscles was a reminder of the intense workout she had done the day before.
Antonyms
Related Words
Meaning 4
Not clear and resonant; sounding as if striking with or against something relatively soft; "the dull thud"; "thudding bullets".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The music was dull and uninspiring, failing to capture the audience's attention.
- The dull thud of the bullets hitting the sandbags was a stark contrast to the sharp popping sounds in video games.
- After a few years of playing, the once sharp knife had become dull and struggled to cut through the rope.
- The sound of the raindrops was dull, muffled by the thickness of the wooden roof.
- The drummer's usually clear and crisp beats were dull and lacking in energy, bringing down the entire performance.
Synonyms
Meaning 5
(of color) very low in saturation; highly diluted; "dull greens and blues".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Related Words
Meaning 6
Slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; "so dense he never understands anything I say to him"; "never met anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick"- Thackeray; "dumb officials make some really dumb decisions"; "he was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse"; "worked with the slow students".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- He's so dull, I have to explain everything to him multiple times before he finally gets it.
- The teacher was frustrated with her student's dull understanding of even the simplest concepts.
- Despite being a hard worker, she was considered dull by her peers due to her lack of intellectual curiosity.
- The politician's dull response to the crisis was widely criticized by the media and the public.
- The professor was disappointed by the dull performance of his students on the exam, which reflected their lack of engagement with the material.
Synonyms
Related Words
Meaning 7
Being or made softer or less loud or clear; "the dull boom of distant breaking waves"; "muffled drums"; "the muffled noises of the street"; "muted trumpets".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The music was muffled by the thick walls of the room, creating a dull hum that was barely audible.
- The distant rumble of thunder was dull and muted, a gentle reminder of the storm that had passed.
- The city streets were quiet, the dull sounds of the traffic muffled by the snow that covered the pavement.
- The singer's voice was dull and husky, the result of a cold that had been lingering for weeks.
- The dull chime of the clock in the hallway was the only sound that broke the silence of the empty house.
Synonyms
Meaning 8
So lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness; "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"; "what an irksome task the writing of long letters is"- Edmund Burke; "tedious days on the train"; "the tiresome chirping of a cricket"- Mark Twain; "other people's dreams are dreadfully wearisome".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The teacher's lectures were so dull that students often fell asleep in class.
- Her presentation was competent, but the topic was dull and failed to capture the audience's attention.
- Watching paint dry would be a more exciting experience than sitting through this dull movie.
- After a while, the routine tasks at work started to feel dull and I needed a change of pace.
- The new policy is a dull but necessary measure to prevent further losses for the company.
Synonyms
Related Words
Meaning 9
Not having a sharp edge or point; "the knife was too dull to be of any use".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The scissors were dull and couldn't cut through the thick fabric.
- The dull knife made it difficult to slice the bread.
- After years of use, the once-sharp axe had become dull and needed to be sharpened.
- The dull pencil broke easily under pressure, making it hard to write with.
- The chef was frustrated with the dull paring knife that couldn't even peel a simple apple.
Antonyms
Related Words
Meaning 10
Blunted in responsiveness or sensibility; "a dull gaze"; "so exhausted she was dull to what went on about her"- Willa Cather.
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The patient's dull eyes stared blankly at the doctor as he explained the diagnosis.
- After a few hours of listening to the lecture, I became dull to the professor's words and struggled to stay awake.
- The exhaustion of traveling had left her feeling dull and disoriented in the unfamiliar city.
- His dull expression gave away his lack of interest in the conversation.
- The long hours of studying had made her mind dull and unable to focus on the complex math problems.
Related Words
Meaning 11
Darkened with overcast; "a dark day"; "a dull sky"; "the sky was leaden and thick".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The city was shrouded in a dull haze that seemed to suffocate its inhabitants.
- The dull gray sky hung over the landscape like a wet blanket.
- A dull, impenetrable fog clung to the highway, reducing visibility to near zero.
- As the storm approached, the sky turned a dull, ominous green.
- On a dull winter morning, the world outside seemed as lifeless as the tree branches that stood bare and still.
Synonyms
Related Words
Meaning 12
Lacking in liveliness or animation; "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"; "fell back into one of her dull moods".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The lecture was so dull that I fell asleep halfway through.
- She's a dull person to talk to, always complaining about the same things.
- The dull weather matched my mood perfectly, grey and uninviting.
- After a few weeks, the excitement of the new job wore off and the work became dull and routine.
- The dull hum of the air conditioner was the only sound in the empty office.