Antonyms for dull


Grammar : Adj
Spell : duhl
Phonetic Transcription : dÊŒl


Definition of dull

Origin :
  • c.1200, "stupid;" early 13c., "blunt, not sharp;" rare before mid-14c., apparently from Old English dol "dull-witted, foolish," or an unrecorded parallel word, or from Middle Low German dul "slow-witted," both from Proto-Germanic *dulaz (cf. Old Frisian and Old Saxon dol "foolish," Old High German tol, German toll "mad, wild," Gothic dwals "foolish"), from PIE *dheu- (1) "dust, vapor, smoke" (and related notions of "defective perception or wits"). Of color from early 15c.; of pain or other sensations from 1725. Sense of "boring" first recorded 1580s.
  • dull. (8) Not exhilarating; not delightful; as to make dictionaries is dull work. [Johnson]
  • Dullsville, slang for "town where nothing happens," attested from 1960.
  • adj unintelligent
  • adj insensitive
  • adj boring, uninteresting
  • adj not sharp
  • adj uneventful
  • adj drab, lackluster in effect on senses
Example sentences :
  • As they approached it, the dull hue that lay upon it resembled that of the leaden sky.
  • Extract from : « Malbone » by Thomas Wentworth Higginson
  • "Yes," said Dick, staring in front of him and speaking in a dull, even voice.
  • Extract from : « Viviette » by William J. Locke
  • Andrew, looking from the dull glimmer of his fire to that dead waste, sighed.
  • Extract from : « Way of the Lawless » by Max Brand
  • It is a curious question why sacred song should so often be dull and commonplace.
  • Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
  • The sarcasm was without effect on the dull sensibilities of the officer.
  • Extract from : « Within the Law » by Marvin Dana
  • Blackness had descended on them again, except for the dull glow of K.'s old pipe.
  • Extract from : « K » by Mary Roberts Rinehart
  • Handel may well have felt that Hanover was a dull place as compared with London.
  • Extract from : « Handel » by Edward J. Dent
  • His face changed from its copper color to a dull, waxy yellow.
  • Extract from : « Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates » by Howard Pyle
  • That is why his face was so smooth and cold, his eyes so dull and his voice so monotonous.
  • Extract from : « The Underdog » by F. Hopkinson Smith
  • But if there's a secret anywhere, it's only a dull, dusty sort of secret.
  • Extract from : « It Happened in Egypt » by C. N. Williamson

Synonyms for dull

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019