— dullness, dulness , n. — dully , adv.
/dul/ , adj., duller, dullest , 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.
10. to make or become dull.
[ 1200-50; ME; akin to OE dol foolish, stupid; c. G toll ]
Syn. 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.
Ant. 1. sharp, keen. 2. interesting. 7. bright.