What does "dull" mean?

1. (boring) not interesting or exciting in any way. 2. (not sharp) having an edge that is not sharp and cannot cut easily. 3. (not bright or shiny) not bright, shiny, or clear; often used for colours or weather. 4. (low intensity pain) used to describe a pain that is not sharp but stays for a long time. 5. (to reduce intensity) to make a feeling, pain, or sound less strong or sharp. 6. (to make less sharp) to make an edge less sharp through use or damage.

dull

adj. · v.

US //ˈdəɫ// UK //dˈʌl// dull

1 boring (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

not interesting or exciting in any way.

lacking interest or excitement; tedious.

Example

The lecture was so dull that half the students fell asleep.

Example

The critic dismissed the film as a dull repetition of tropes that have been explored more effectively in earlier works.
- exciting
- interesting
2 not sharp (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

having an edge that is not sharp and cannot cut easily.

lacking a sharp edge or point; blunt.

Example

It is difficult to chop vegetables with such a dull knife.

Example

The carpenter set aside the dull chisel, noting that the blade required significant honing before it could produce a clean cut.
- blunt
- sharp
- keen

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3 not bright or shiny (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

not bright, shiny, or clear; often used for colours or weather.

lacking brilliance or luster; matte or overcast.

Example

The sky was a dull grey just before the rain started to fall.

Example

Years of neglect had left the silver trophy with a dull finish that resisted even the most vigorous polishing.
4 low intensity pain (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

used to describe a pain that is not sharp but stays for a long time.

describing a physical sensation that is indistinct, muffled, or lacking in sharpness but persistent.

Example

He felt a dull ache in his lower back after working in the garden.

Example

The patient complained of a dull, throbbing sensation in her temples that intensified whenever she was exposed to bright light.
- mild
- indistinct
- acute
- sharp
5 to reduce intensity (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to make a feeling, pain, or sound less strong or sharp.

to moderate, soften, or reduce the intensity of a sensation or quality.

Example

The doctor gave her some medicine to dull the pain after the surgery.

Example

The heavy curtains were designed to dull the noise from the busy street outside, creating a quiet sanctuary for the residents.
- sharpen
- intensify
6 to make less sharp (v.)
C1 Advanced Formal

to make an edge less sharp through use or damage.

to remove the sharpness of an edge or point; to blunt.

Example

Cutting through thick cardboard will quickly dull your scissors.

Example

Constant contact with the abrasive sandy soil served to dull the plough's blade far sooner than the farmer had anticipated.
- blunt
- sharpen

Origin

From Middle English dull, dul (also dyll, dill, dwal), from Old English dol (“dull, foolish, erring, heretical; foolish, silly; presumptuous”), from Proto-West Germanic dol, from Proto-Germanic dulaz, from earlier dwulaz, a variant of dwalaz (“stunned, mad, foolish, misled”), from Proto-Indo-European dʰwel-, dʰewel- (“to dim, dull, cloud, make obscure, swirl, whirl”). Cognate with Scots dull, doll (“slow to understand or hear, deaf, dull”), North Frisian dol (“rash, unthinking, giddy, flippant”), Dutch dol (“crazy, mad, insane”), Low German dul, dol (“mad, silly, stupid, fatuous”), German toll (“crazy, mad, wild, fantastic”), Danish dval (“foolish, absurd”), Icelandic dulur (“secretive, silent”), West-Flemish dul (angry, furious).