dull

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈdʌl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/dʌl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(dul)

Inflections of 'dull' (adj):
duller
adj comparative
dullest
adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
dull /dʌl/USA pronunciation   adj., -er, -est, v. 
adj. 
  1. not sharp;
    blunt:a dull knife.
  2. causing boredom:She almost fell asleep during his dull sermon.
  3. not lively or spirited;
    listless:always feels dull in hot weather.
  4. not bright, intense, or clear;
    dim:a dull, cloudy day.
  5. having little depth of color:[before a noun]the dull grey of the clouds.
  6. slow in motion or action;
    sluggish:a dull day in the stock market.
  7. mentally slow;
    somewhat stupid.
  8. lacking keenness in the senses or feelings:[before a noun]He had a dull pain in his stomach.

v. 
  1. to (cause to) become dull: [no object]His senses dulled as the drug swept through his body.[~ + object]The smell from the garbage dulled his appetite.
dull•ness, n. [uncountable]
dul•ly, adv.: He answered dully that he didn't really care.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
dull  (dul),USA pronunciation adj., -er, -est, v. 
adj. 
  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.
  6. slow in motion or action;
    not brisk;
    sluggish:a dull day in the stock market.
  7. mentally slow;
    lacking brightness of mind;
    somewhat stupid;
    obtuse.
  8. lacking keenness of perception in the senses or feelings;
    insensible;
    unfeeling.
  9. not intense or acute:a dull pain.

v.t., v.i. 
  1. to make or become dull.
  • 1200–50; Middle English; akin to Old English dol foolish, stupid; cognate with German toll
dull′ness, dul′ness, n. 
dul′ly, adv. 
    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. sharp, keen. 2. interesting. 7. bright.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
dull /dʌl/ adj
  1. slow to think or understand
  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. not active, busy, or brisk
  7. lacking in spirit or animation; listless
  8. (of colour) lacking brilliance or brightness; sombre
  9. not loud or clear; muffled
 vb
  1. to make or become dull
Etymology: Old English dol; related to Old Norse dul conceit, Old High German tol foolish, Greek tholeros confusedˈdullish adj ˈdullness, ˈdulness n ˈdully adv
'dull' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
absurd - ache - amblyopia - avocado - barren - bland - block - bloom - blunt - bore - boring - bovine - bromide - buff - bump - cabbage - camouflage - cannel coal - chug - clod - clonk - cloud - clump - clunk - commonplace - dead-and-alive - deaden - deadhead - deadly nightshade - dense - ditchwater - doldrums - dolt - drab - draggy - dreary - drone - drowse - drowsy - duffer - fade - fishy - fuddy-duddy - fuliginous - fulvous - gormless - grave - greenfinch - green woodpecker - acute
Collocations: dulls the [senses, appetite, mind], a dull [movie, lecture, person], the [movie] was (so) dull, more...

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