dull

dull

modif.

1. Without point or edge

   blunt, blunted, dulled, unsharpened, pointless, unpointed, round, square, flat, obtuse, edgeless, turned, nicked, battered, used, broken, toothless, edentate.

   Antonyms sharp*, sharpened, keen. *

2. Lacking brightness or color

   gloomy, sober, somber, drab, matte, dismal, bleak, dark, dingy, dim, dusky, dun, colorless, plain, obscure, cloudy, lackluster, tarnished, faded, unglazed, lusterless, opaque, leaden, grave, grimy, pitchy, sooty, inky, dead, black, coal-black, unlit, unlighted, sordid, dirty, muddy, murky, gray, ashen, wan, lifeless, rusty, flat, without snap*; see also dark 1.

   Antonyms bright*, colorful*, gleaming.

3. Lacking intelligence or sensitivity; said usually of living beings

   stupid, stolid, obtuse, sluggish, heavy, slow, retarded, witless, sleepy, backward, dense, dullwitted, tedious, boring, unintelligent, ignorant, unintellectual, vacuous, doltish, besotted, scatterbrained, feeble-minded, half-witted, addled, addlebrained, thick-witted, slow-witted, thick-skulled, imbecilic, insensate, dim, prosy, prosaic, unimaginative, fatuous, insensitive, unfeeling, unresponsive, numb, wooden, blunted, listless, apathetic, phlegmatic, not bright, torpid, spiritless, brainless, shallow, indolent, unentertaining, non compos mentis, simple-minded, simple, moronic, lumpish, stuffy, stodgy, dumb*, thick*, dopey*, lowbrow*, stupid as an ox*, blockheaded*, muscle-bound*, nitwitted*, dimwitted*, dead from the ears up*, not all there*; see also stupid 1.

   Antonyms witty*, quick*, smart. *

4. Lacking interest; said usually of writing, speaking, or inanimate things

   tedious, boring, tiresome, prosy, heavy, leaden, prosaic, trite, hackneyed, monotonous, humdrum, dreary, dismal, dry, arid, barren, colorless, insipid, vapid, flat, bland, uninteresting, deadly, longwinded, prolix, stupid, commonplace, ordinary, common, usual, unenlivened, stuffy, stodgy, old, ancient, stale, moth-eaten, out-of-date, antediluvian, archaic, hoary, worn-out, banal, tired, driveling, senseless, pointless, uninspiring, platitudinous, pedestrian, jejune, tame, routine, familiar, well-known, conventional, unimaginative, depressing, sluggish, plodding, repetitious, unvarying, boresome, abused, repetitive, oft-repeated, well-worn, fatiguing, wearisome, wearing, soporific, producing ennui, lifeless, wooden, characterless, wearying, tiring, unexciting, irksome, stereotyped, stereotypical, stock, the usual thing, the same old thing, slow, draggy, dry as dust, cut and dried, without any kick*, dead as a doornail*, blah*, ho-hum*. *

   Antonyms exciting*, fascinating*, exhilarating. *

5. Not loud or distinct

   muffled, muted, low, soft; see faint 3.

6. Showing little activity

   slow, placid, languid, lethargic, still, sluggish, listless, lackadaisical, regular, depressed, inactive, lifeless, spiritless, uneventful, unexciting, slothful, without incident, quiet, even, torpid, inert, bovine, cowlike, routine, usual, accustomed, slack, monotonous, unresponsive, stagnant, dead, boring, falling off, apathetic, stolid, flat, lumpish, lumpy, bearish, poky, off*.

   Antonyms stimulating*, lively*, active.

dull is specifically applied to a point or edge that has lost its previous sharpness a dull knife and generally connotes a lack of keenness, zest, spirit, intensity, etc. a dull book, a dull ache; blunt is often equivalent to dull, but specifically refers to a point or edge that is intentionally not sharp a blunt fencing saber; obtuse literally applies to a pointed end whose sides form an angle greater than 90⅓⅓⅓⅓⅓°, and figuratively connotes lack of understanding or sensitivity too obtuse to comprehend See also syn. study at stupid.