I. dull 1 S3 /dʌl/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative duller , superlative dullest )
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: dol ]
1 . BORING not interesting or exciting:
Life is never dull when Elizabeth is here.
a dull movie
It sounded pretty dull to me.
The weekly meeting tends to be deadly dull (=very dull) .
Last week we had a hurricane. Never a dull moment running a hotel in the Caribbean (=it’s always interesting or exciting) .
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say boring rather than dull :
▪
a long, boring film
2 . COLOUR/LIGHT not bright or shiny:
The bird is dull brown and gray in colour.
Her eyes were dull with dark shadows beneath them.
the dull afternoon light
3 . WEATHER not bright and with lots of clouds:
Outside the weather was hazy and dull.
a dull sky
4 . PAIN a dull pain is not severe but does not stop OPP sharp :
a dull ache in her lower back
The pain was dull but persistent.
5 . SOUND not clear or loud:
The gates shut with a dull thud.
6 . KNIFE/BLADE not sharp SYN blunt
7 . NOT INTELLIGENT old-fashioned not able to think quickly or understand things easily SYN stupid :
If you don’t understand then you’re duller than I thought.
8 . TRADE if business on the Stock Exchange is dull, few people are buying and selling OPP brisk
—dully adverb :
‘Well Michael?’ he said dully.
Her stomach ached dully.
—dullness noun [uncountable]
II. dull 2 BrE AmE verb
1 . [transitive] to make something become less sharp or clear:
He drank some alcohol to dull the pain.
Her fear and anxiety dulled her mind.
2 . [intransitive and transitive] to become less bright or loud, or to make something become less bright or loud:
His eyes dulled a little.
The constant rain dulled all sound.