Dullness


[duhl] /dʌl/

adjective, duller, dullest.
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.
verb (used with or without object)
10.
to make or become dull.
/dʌl/
adjective
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
verb
12.
to make or become 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 (cf. 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.

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.

dull (dŭl)
adj. dull·er, dull·est

dull’ness n.
In addition to the idiom beginning with dull

Read Also:

  • Dull out

    verb phrase To live a quiet life; eschew excitement: Fewer distractions, fewer parties, fewer people. ”I need to dull out for a year” (1980s+)

  • Dull roar

    noun a relatively quiet situation; a calmer situation Usage Note informal noun A relatively quiet situation; a calmer situation: checkers game kept to a dull roar

  • Dullsville

    [duhlz-vil] /ˈdʌlz vɪl/ noun, Slang. 1. something boring or dull: That movie was strictly dullsville. /ˈdʌlzvɪl/ noun (slang) 1. a thing, place, or activity that is boring or dull 2. the state of being bored adjective Very dull; tedious; dragsville: a dullsville wimp (1960+) Related Terms -sville

  • Dull tool

    noun phrase An ineffective person; dead one, loser (1700+)

  • Dull-witted

    [duhl-wit-id] /ˈdʌlˈwɪt ɪd/ adjective 1. mentally slow; stupid.


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