dull

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”
• “;”
• “- Edmund Burke;”
• “;”
• “- Mark Twain;”
• “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”
• “a gray rainy afternoon”
• “gray clouds”
• “the sky was leaden and thick”

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”

become less interesting or attractive

make less lively or vigorous

• “Middle age dulled her appetite for travel”