dull

dull
I. adjective Etymology: Middle English dul; akin to Old English dol foolish, Old Irish dall blind Date: 13th century 1. mentally slow ; stupid 2. a. slow in perception or sensibility ; insensible <
somewhat dull of hearing
>
b. lacking zest or vivacity ; listless <
a dull performance
>
3. slow in action ; sluggish 4. a. lacking in force, intensity, or sharpness <
a dull ache
>
b. not resonant or ringing <
a dull booming sound
>
5. lacking sharpness of edge or point <
a dull knife
>
6. lacking brilliance or luster <
a dull finish
>
7. of a color low in saturation and low in lightness 8. cloudy <
dull weather
>
9. tedious, uninteresting <
dull lectures
>
dullness also dulness noundully adverb Synonyms: dull, blunt, obtuse mean not sharp, keen, or acute. dull suggests a lack or loss of keenness, zest, or pungency <
a dull pain
>
<
a dull mind
>
. blunt suggests an inherent lack of sharpness or quickness of feeling or perception <
a person of blunt sensibility
>
. obtuse implies such bluntness as makes one insensitive in perception or imagination <
too obtuse to take the hint
>
. Synonym: see in addition stupid. II. verb Date: 13th century transitive verb to make dull <
dull a knife's edge
>
intransitive verb to become dull

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Dull — Dull, a. [Compar. {Duller}; superl. {Dullest}.] [AS. dol foolish; akin to gedwelan to err, D. dol mad, dwalen to wander, err, G. toll mad, Goth. dwals foolish, stupid, cf. Gr. ? turbid, troubled, Skr. dhvr to cause to fall. Cf. {Dolt}, {Dwale},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dull — adj 1 *stupid, slow, dumb, dense, crass Analogous words: *lethargic, sluggish, comatose: phlegmatic, stolid, *impassive, apathetic: *backward: retarded (see DELAY vb) Antonyms: clever, bright …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • dull — [dul] adj. [ME dul < OE dol, stupid, akin to Ger toll < IE * dh(e)wel < base * dheu , blow, be turbid > DUMB, DWELL, OIr dall, blind, Gr thanatos, death] 1. mentally slow; stupid 2. lacking sensitivity; blunted in feeling or… …   English World dictionary

  • Dull —    DULL, a parish, in the county of Perth, 4 miles (W. by N.) from Aberfeldy; containing, with parts of the late quoad sacra parishes of Foss and Tenandry, and part of the village of Aberfeldy, 3811 inhabitants, of whom 145 are in the village of… …   A Topographical dictionary of Scotland

  • dull — [dʌl] adjective JOURNALISM if business on a financial market is dull, not many people are buying or selling: • Shares closed lower in dull trading. • Investors were busy moving in and out of two year Treasury notes yesterday, providing a bit of… …   Financial and business terms

  • Dull — may refer to: Boring Dull, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, United Kingdom Dull Gret, a figure of Flemish folklore People with the surname Dull: Jack Dull (1930 1995), professor at the University of Washington John Dull (21st century), American… …   Wikipedia

  • dull — [adj1] unintelligent addled, backward, besotted, boring, brainless, daffy, daft, dense, dim, dim witted, doltish, dumb, feeble minded, half baked, ignorant, imbecilic, indolent, insensate, low, moronic, not bright, numskulled, obtuse,… …   New thesaurus

  • Düll — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Heinrich Düll (1867–1956), deutscher Bildhauer und Musiker der Prinzregentenzeit Rudolf Düll (1887–1979), deutscher Jurist Ruprecht Düll (* 1931), deutscher Botaniker Siehe auch Privatbrauerei Friedrich… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dull — Dull, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Duller}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Dulling}.] 1. To deprive of sharpness of edge or point. This . . . dulled their swords. Bacon. [1913 Webster] Borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To make dull, stupid …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dull — (adj.) c.1200, stupid; early 13c., blunt, not sharp; rare before mid 14c., apparently from O.E. dol dull witted, foolish, or an unrecorded parallel word, or from M.L.G. dul slow witted, both from P.Gmc. *dulaz (Cf. O.Fris., O.S. dol foolish,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Dull — Dull, v. i. To become dull or stupid. Rom. of R. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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