DULL


Meaning of DULL in English

/ dʌl; NAmE / adjective , verb

■ adjective

( dull·er , dull·est )

BORING

1.

not interesting or exciting

SYN dreary :

Life in a small town could be deadly dull.

The first half of the game was pretty dull.

There's never a dull moment when John's around.

➡ note at boring

LIGHT / COLOURS

2.

not bright or shiny :

a dull grey colour

dull, lifeless hair

Her eyes were dull.

SOUNDS

3.

not clear or loud :

The gates shut behind him with a dull thud.

WEATHER

4.

not bright, with a lot of clouds

SYN overcast :

It was a dull, grey day.

PAIN

5.

not very severe, but continuous :

a dull ache / pain

PERSON

6.

slow in understanding

SYN stupid :

a dull pupil

TRADE

7.

( especially NAmE ) not busy; slow :

Don't sell into a dull market.

►  dull·ness noun [ U ]

►  dully / ˈdʌlli; NAmE / adverb :

'I suppose so,' she said dully.

His leg ached dully.

IDIOMS

- (as) dull as ditchwater

—more at work noun

■ verb

PAIN

1.

( of pain or an emotion ) to become or be made weaker or less severe :

[ vn ]

The tablets they gave him dulled the pain for a while.

[also v ]

PERSON

2.

[ vn ] to make a person slower or less lively :

He felt dulled and stupid with sleep.

COLOURS, SOUNDS

3.

to become or to make sth less bright, clean or sharp :

[ v ]

His eyes dulled and he slumped to the ground.

[ vn ]

The endless rain seemed to dull all sound.

••

WORD ORIGIN

Old English dol stupid , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dol crazy and German toll mad, fantastic, wonderful.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.