Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
The quality of being slow of understanding things.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: dullwittedness, dimness, dimwittedness
Antonyms: sharpness, acuity, brightness, brain, brains, cleverness, head, esprit, intellect, intelligence, mind, nous, psyche, reason, smartness, smarts, wit, judgment
noun
The quality of being uninteresting; boring; humorless or irksome.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Lack of interest or excitement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The lack of visual brilliance; want of sheen.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
bluntness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The quality of not perceiving or kenning things distinctly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Drowsiness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
without sharpness or clearness of edge or point
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: bluntness
Antonyms: sharpness
Broader terms: shape, form, configuration, contour, conformation
Narrower terms: obtuseness
noun
lack of sensibility
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: unfeelingness, callousness, callosity, hardness, insensibility
noun
a lack of visual brightness
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: brightness
Broader terms: visual property
Narrower terms: dimness, subduedness, flatness, lusterlessness, lustrelessness, mat, matt, matte
noun
the quality of lacking interestingness
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: uninterestingness
Narrower terms: boringness, dreariness, insipidness, insipidity, tediousness, tedium, tiresomeness, jejunity, jejuneness, tameness, vapidity, vapidness
noun
the quality of being slow to understand
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: obtuseness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: stupidity
Narrower terms: oscitancy, oscitance
History
Etymology tree English dull Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English dullness From dull + -ness.
Across languages
25 source translations are retained for this English entry.
