1
: tedious, uninteresting
dull lectures
2
: lacking sharpness of edge or point
a dull knife
3
a
: not resonant or ringing
a dull booming sound
b
: lacking in force, intensity, or sharpness
a dull ache
4
: lacking brilliance or luster
a dull finish
5
: cloudy
dull weather
6
of a color
: low in saturation (see saturation sense 4a) and low in lightness
a dull green
7
: mentally slow : stupid
8
a
: slow in perception or sensibility : insensible
somewhat dull of hearing
dull to what went on about her—
Willa Cather
Willa Cather
b
: lacking zest (see zest sense 2) or vivacity : listless
a dull performance
9
: slow in action : sluggish
dull markets
dulled; dulling; dulls
: to make dull
dull a knife's edge
: to become dull
The blade dulled with use.
Synonyms
Examples of dull in a Sentence
Adjective
the dull roar of the crowd
the dull knife just bounced off the skin of the tomato without cutting it
Verb
Fog dulled the morning sunlight.
Special earplugs dulled the sound of the chain saw.
His hair dulled as he aged.
The dog's eyes dulled as he got sick.
She takes medicine to dull the pain.
Fear dulled his need for adventure.
The knife was dulled from use.
The blade should be replaced as soon as it dulls.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sophia Panych, Allure, 2 Nov. 2024
Browsing through the options online, she was disappointed by how dull and samey everything was.
—Simon Hill, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024
New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2024
Clearly, the sands of time have not dulled his feelings.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dull 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Adjective
Wella Color Fresh Mask in Rose Blaze and Overtone Rose Gold for Brown Hair Coloring Conditioner are both rosy pink shades designed to be used over brown hair and can be easily swapped out for your regular conditioner when your color starts looking dull.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 2 Nov. 2024
Browsing through the options online, she was disappointed by how dull and samey everything was.
—Simon Hill, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
Aging can dull our ability to navigate using spatial memory, the form of memory responsible for recording and recovering the information needed to remember the location of objects in our environment.
—New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2024
Clearly, the sands of time have not dulled his feelings.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dull
Dictionary Entries Near dull
Cite this Entry
“Dull.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dull. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dull
1 of 2 adjective1
: mentally slow : stupid
2
: listless
3
: slow in action : sluggish
4
: lacking sharpness of edge or point
5
: lacking brilliance or luster
6
: not ringing, sharp, or intense
a dull roar
7
8
: tedious, uninteresting
a dull lecture
9
: slightly grayish
a dull blue
dull
2 of 2 verb
: to make or become dull
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