Dull Definition & Meaning
dull
- adjective
- lacking in liveliness or animation; "he was so dull at parties"; "a dull political campaign"; "a large dull impassive man"; "dull days with nothing to do"; "how dull and dreary the world is"; "fell back into one of her dull moods"
- emitting or reflecting very little light; "a dull glow"; "dull silver badly in need of a polish"; "a dull sky"
- being or made softer or less loud or clear; "the dull boom of distant breaking waves"; "muffled drums"; "the muffled noises of the street"; "muted trumpets"
- so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness; "a boring evening with uninteresting people"; "the deadening effect of some routine tasks"; "a dull play"; "his competent but dull performance"; "a ho-hum speaker who couldn't capture their attention"; "what an irksome task the writing of long letters is"- Edmund Burke; "tedious days on the train"; "the tiresome chirping of a cricket"- Mark Twain; "other people's dreams are dreadfully wearisome"
- (of color) very low in saturation; highly diluted; "dull greens and blues"
- not keenly felt; "a dull throbbing"; "dull pain"
- slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; "so dense he never understands anything I say to him"; "never met anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick"- Thackeray; "dumb officials make some really dumb decisions"; "he was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse"; "worked with the slow students"
- (of business) not active or brisk; "business is dull (or slow)"; "a sluggish market"
- not having a sharp edge or point; "the knife was too dull to be of any use"
- blunted in responsiveness or sensibility; "a dull gaze"; "so exhausted she was dull to what went on about her"- Willa Cather
- not clear and resonant; sounding as if striking with or against something relatively soft; "the dull thud"; "thudding bullets"
- darkened with overcast; "a dark day"; "a dull sky"; "the sky was leaden and thick"
- verb
- make dull in appearance; "Age had dulled the surface"
- become dull or lusterless in appearance; lose shine or brightness; "the varnished table top dulled with time"
- deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping
- make numb or insensitive; "The shock numbed her senses"
- make dull or blunt; "Too much cutting dulls the knife's edge"
- become less interesting or attractive
- make less lively or vigorous; "Middle age dulled her appetite for travel"
"Dull" in song lyrics
See how dull is used in real songs:
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"y'all put me to sleep y'all poetry's dull"
7L & Esoteric f/ Apathy, Celph Titled — Yell at Us -
"Blowin' up your hand cause your gang sign is dull"
Bloods & Crips — No Way Out -
"By the weak and the dull"
Busdriver — Note Boom
Words that rhyme with dull
Usage tips for "dull"
Understanding the precise definition of a word helps you use it with confidence. When using "dull" in your writing, consider whether you need the word itself or one of its synonyms — subtle differences in meaning can change the tone of a sentence. If you're writing poetry or song lyrics, check the rhymes for dull to find words that pair well.
Use "dull" in a verse
Now that you know what "dull" means, try using it in your own lyrics:
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