I. ˈdəl adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English dul, dulle; akin to Old English dol foolish, Old High German tol foolish, Old Norse dul concealment, conceit, Gothic dwals foolish, Old Irish dall blind, Greek tholeros muddy, troubled, and probably to Latin fumus smoke — more at fume
1. : mentally slow : somewhat lacking in intelligence : stupid , doltish , thickheaded
although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick — W.M.Thackeray
be dull and soulless, like a beast of the field — a brainless animal, with listless eye, unlighted by any ray of fancy, or of hope, or fear, or love, or life — J.K.Jerome
2.
a. : slow or blunted in perception or sensibility : unfeeling , insensible
she was worn out; so exhausted that she was dull to what went on about her — Willa Cather
b. dialect Britain : hard-of-hearing
3. : lacking zest or vivacity : depressed in spirits : disheartened, listless , hopeless
you must not fall back into any of your dull moods — William Black
dull apathy of despair — Oscar Wilde
4.
a. : slow in action, motion, or response : sluggish , inert , lifeless , ponderous
the dull heaviness in his heart — Agnes S. Turnbull
his dull brain
b. : marked by inactivity especially in business
talk of further curtailment by mills because of the dull market in cotton goods — Wall Street Journal
lay off some of their staff in the dull season — Journal of Accountancy
5. : lacking sharpness of edge or point : blunt
6. : lacking brilliance or luster
dull -finish aluminum
: muffled , muted : not clear : indistinct , dim : lacking in force or intensity
the kerosene lamp gave a dull light
the dull boom of the breaking waves — John Cooke
dull , rankling anger — Rudyard Kipling
7. of a color : low in saturation and low in lightness
8. of the weather : cloudy , overcast , gloomy
9. of paper or its finish : smooth but relatively low in gloss
10. : furnishing little delight, spirit, or variety : tedious , uninteresting
eating dull food and wearing shabby clothes — J.E.Evans
I find the book long-winded, incredibly boring, heavy to the last degree, and deadly dull — John o' London's Weekly
a dull speaker
Synonyms:
blunt , obtuse : dull may refer to an edge or point that has lost its sharpness
a dull knife
It may apply to lack or loss of keenness, pungency, interest, poignancy, or intensity
a dull pain
a dull diet
transferred from the dull pages of the textbook to the livelier writing of romance — T.C.Chubb
compared with her, other women were heavy and dull; even the pretty ones seemed lifeless — Willa Cather
blunt may refer to an edge or point not intended or designed to be sharp
the blunt edge of a table knife
blunt may indicate lack of keenness in perception, sensitivity, or discrimination
blunt in perception and feeling and quite destitute of imagination — A.C.Bradley
blunt, unemotional, completely lacking in subtlety, Mr. Strydom accepts and proclaims without question — James Gray
obtuse may apply in technical or mathematical writing to an angle or convergence of more than 90 degrees. Otherwise obtuse suggests more-or-less stupid lack of perception or sensitivity
carelessly egotistical as she was, she was not really obtuse; she had realized from the outset that she was being allowed to come on this expedition as a favor — Ann Bridge
there was, one vaguely feels, something a little obtuse about Dr. Burney. The eager, kind, busy man, with his head full of music and his desk stuffed with notes, lacked discrimination — Virginia Woolf
Synonym: see in addition stupid .
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English dullen, from dul, dulle, adjective
transitive verb
: to make dull:
a. : to make less clear, distinct, or bright
the painting's original warm colors have been greatly dulled by age
grime dulled his brown skin — Audrey Barker
b. : to make less keen or acute : make less active or forceful : stupefy , devitalize
fear dulls the sense of adventure — Mary E. Chase
dulled by routine and sunk in apathy — John Dewey
old age is dulling my taste for books — O.W.Holmes †1935
c. : to deprive of sharpness (as of edge or point) : blunt
dulled somewhat the cutting edge of popular resentment — Cabell Phillips
believes tighter credit has done its job and dulled the inflation threat — Newsweek
d. : to lessen the sensitivity of (as the physical senses)
eyes and ears dulled by age
e. : to reduce the luster of (as rayon) : deluster , blind
intransitive verb
: to be or become dull