dull

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /dʌl/, SAMPA: /dVl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌl

Adjective

dull (comparative duller, superlative dullest)

1. Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp.

   All these knives are dull.

2. Boring; not exciting or interesting.

   He sat through the dull lecture and barely stayed awake.

   When does having a dull personality ever get you a girlfriend? Even if you get one, how does being dull help you keep a relationship for over a year?

3. Not shiny; having a matte finish or no particular luster.

   Choose a dull finish to hide fingerprints.

4. Not bright or intelligent; stupid; slow of understanding.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:boring
• See also Wikisaurus:stupid
• (not shiny): lackluster, matte

Antonyms

• bright
• intelligent

Translations

lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp

Armenian: բութ (hy) (but') Bulgarian: тъп (bg) (tǎp) Chinese: Mandarin: 鈍 (zh), 钝 (zh) (dùn) Czech: tupý (cs) m. Danish: sløv (da) Dutch: bot (nl), stomp (nl) Finnish: tylsä (fi) French: émoussé (fr) German: stumpf (de)

Japanese: 鈍い (ja) (にぶい, nibui) Korean: 무딘 (ko) (mudin) Kurdish: کول (ku) Navajo: doo deení da Norwegian: sløv (no) Polish: tępy m., tępa f., tępe m. Portuguese: cego (pt) m. Russian: тупой (ru) (tupój) Spanish: romo (es) Swedish: oskarp (sv), slö (sv) Tagalog: mapurol (tl) Turkish: kör (tr)

boring

Armenian: ձանձրալի (hy) (janjrali) Bulgarian: скучен (bg) Chinese: Mandarin: 無聊 (zh), 无聊 (zh) (wúliáo) Danish: kedelig (da) Dutch: saai (nl) Finnish: tylsä (fi), pitkäveteinen (fi), pitkästyttävä (fi) French: ennuyeux (fr), barbant (fr) German: fad (de), langweilig (de)

Italian: noioso (it) Japanese: 退屈な (ja) (たいくつな, taikutsu-na), つまらない (ja) (tsumaranai) Norwegian: kjedelig (no) Polish: nudny (pl) m., nudna (pl) f., nudne (pl) n. Portuguese: entediante (pt) Russian: скучный (ru) (skúčnyj, skúšnyj) Slovene: dolgočasen (sl) Spanish: aburrido (es) Swedish: tråkig (sv) Turkish: sıkıcı (tr)

not shiny

Bulgarian: матов (bg) Danish: mat (da) Dutch: mat (nl) Estonian: tuhm (et) Finnish: samea (fi) French: mat (fr), terne (fr) German: matt (de)

Norwegian: matt (no) Polish: matowy m., matowa f., matowe n. Portuguese: fosco (pt) Russian: тусклый (ru) (túsklyj), матовый (ru) (mátovyj) Spanish: mate (es), opaco (es) m. Swedish: matt (sv) Turkish: mat (tr)

not bright or intelligent

Armenian: բութ (hy) (but') Bulgarian: тъп (bg) (tǎp) Chinese: Mandarin: 蠢 (zh) (chǔn) Danish: dum (da) Dutch: dom (nl) Estonian: nõme (et) Finnish: hidasjärkinen (fi)

French: sot (fr), obtus (fr), idiot (fr) German: blöd (de), blöde (de), dumm (de) Japanese: 鈍い (ja) (にぶい, nibui), 鈍い (ja) (のろい, noroi) Latin: brutus (la), fatuus (la), idiōta (la), stultus (la) Norwegian: dum (no) Polish: tępy m., tępa f., tępe m. Portuguese: estúpido (pt), fátuo (pt), imbecil (pt), idiota (pt) Russian: тупой (ru) (tupój), глупый (ru) (glúpyj) Spanish: obtuso (es), corto (es) m., limitado (es) m. Swedish: oskarp (sv), trög (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Latin: brutus Spanish: soso, embotado

Verb

dull (third-person singular simple present dulls, present participle dulling, simple past and past participle dulled)

1. (transitive) To render dull; to remove or blunt an edge or something that was sharp.

   Years of misuse have dulled the tools.

2. (transitive) To soften, moderate or blunt.

   He drinks to dull the pain.

3. (intransitive) To lose a sharp edge; to become dull.

   A razor will dull with use.

Translations

(transitive) To render dull; to remove or blunt an edge or something that was sharp

Bulgarian: притъпявам (bg) French: émousser (fr), user (fr) German: abstumpfen (de) Norwegian: sløve (no)

Polish: stępić Russian: тупить (ru) (tupít') impf., иступить (ru) (istupít') pf.; затуплять (ru) (zatuplját') pf., затупить (ru) (zatupít') pf. Spanish: mellar (es), desafilar (es)

(transitive) To soften, moderate or blunt

Bulgarian: смекчавам (bg) French: adoucir (fr), modérer (fr), amortir (fr), assourdir (fr), engourdir (fr) German: abstumpfen (de)

Russian: притуплять (ru) (prituplját') impf., притупить (ru) (pritupít') pf. Spanish: aliviar (es), alivianar (es), moderar (es), amortiguar (es) Swedish: döva (sv), dämpa (sv)

(intransitive) To lose a sharp edge; to become dull

Bulgarian: притъпявам се (bg) French: émousser (fr), user (fr) German: abstumpfen (de)

Polish: stępić się Russian: затупляться (ru) (zatuplját'sja) impf., затупиться (ru) (zatupít'sja) pf. Spanish: redondear (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

External links

• dull in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• dull in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911