dull as ditchwater - definition of dull as ditchwater by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

dull (d

adj. dull·er, dull·est

1. Intellectually weak or obtuse; stupid.

2. Lacking responsiveness or alertness; insensitive.

3. Dispirited; depressed.

4. Not brisk or rapid; sluggish: Business is dull.

5. Not having a sharp edge or point; blunt: a dull knife.

6. Not intensely or keenly felt: a dull ache.

7. Arousing no interest or curiosity; boring: a dull play.

8. Not bright or vivid. Used of a color: a dull brown.

9. Cloudy or overcast: a dull sky.

10. Not clear or resonant: a dull thud.

tr. & intr.v. dulled, dull·ing, dulls

To make or become dull.

[Middle English dul; akin to Old English dol.]

dullish adj.

dullness, dulness n.

dully adv.

Synonyms: dull, colorless, drab¹, humdrum, lackluster, pedestrian, stodgy, uninspired
These adjectives mean lacking in liveliness, charm, or surprise: a dull, uninteresting performance; a colorless and unimaginative person; a drab and boring job; a humdrum conversation; a lackluster life; a pedestrian movie plot; a stodgy dinner party; an uninspired lecture.

Antonym: lively

dull [dʌl]

adj

1. slow to think or understand; stupid

2. lacking in interest

3. lacking in perception or the ability to respond; insensitive

4. lacking sharpness; blunt

5. not acute, intense, or piercing

6. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) (of weather) not bright or clear; cloudy

7. not active, busy, or brisk

8. lacking in spirit or animation; listless

9. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Colours) (of colour) lacking brilliance or brightness; sombre

10. not loud or clear; muffled

11. (Medicine) Med (of sound elicited by percussion, esp of the chest) not resonant

to make or become dull

[Old English dol; related to Old Norse dul conceit, Old High German tol foolish, Greek tholeros confused]

dullish adj

dullness , dulness n

dully adv

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Verb	1.	dull - make dull in appearance; "Age had dulled the surface" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
	2.	dull - become dull or lusterless in appearance; lose shine or brightness; "the varnished table top dulled with time" change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night"
	3.	dull - deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping damp, mute, tone down, muffle, dampen soften - make (images or sounds) soft or softer
	4.	dull - make numb or insensitive; "The shock numbed her senses" benumb, numb, blunt desensitise, desensitize - cause not to be sensitive; "The war desensitized many soldiers"; "The photographic plate was desensitized"
	5.	dull - make dull or blunt; "Too much cutting dulls the knife's edge" blunt alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" sharpen - make sharp or sharper; "sharpen the knives"
	6.	dull - become less interesting or attractive pall change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night"
	7.	dull - make less lively or vigorous; "Middle age dulled her appetite for travel" weaken - become weaker; "The prisoner's resistance weakened after seven days" cloud - make milky or dull; "The chemical clouded the liquid to which it was added"
Adj.	1.	dull - lacking in liveliness or animation; "he was so dull at parties"; "a dull political campaign"; "a large dull impassive man"; "dull days with nothing to do"; "how dull and dreary the world is"; "fell back into one of her dull moods" unanimated - not animated or enlivened; dull colorless, colourless - lacking in variety and interest; "a colorless and unimaginative person"; "a colorless description of the parade" spiritless - lacking ardor or vigor or energy; "a spiritless reply to criticism" lively - full of life and energy; "a lively discussion"; "lively and attractive parents"; "a lively party"
	2.	dull - emitting or reflecting very little light; "a dull glow"; "dull silver badly in need of a polish"; "a dull sky" unpolished - not carefully reworked or perfected or made smooth by polishing; "dull unpolished shoes" bright - emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts; "the sun was bright and hot"; "a bright sunlit room"
	3.	dull - being or made softer or less loud or clear; "the dull boom of distant breaking waves"; "muffled drums"; "the muffled noises of the street"; "muted trumpets" muffled, muted, softened soft - (of sound) relatively low in volume; "soft voices"; "soft music"
	4.	dull - so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness; "a boring evening with uninteresting people"; "the deadening effect of some routine tasks"; "a dull play"; "his competent but dull performance"; "a ho-hum speaker who couldn't capture their attention"; "what an irksome task the writing of long letters is"- Edmund Burke; "tedious days on the train"; "the tiresome chirping of a cricket"- Mark Twain; "other people's dreams are dreadfully wearisome" boring, deadening, ho-hum, irksome, tedious, tiresome, wearisome, slow uninteresting - arousing no interest or attention or curiosity or excitement; "a very uninteresting account of her trip"
	5.	dull - (of color) very low in saturation; highly diluted; "dull greens and blues" unsaturated - (of color) not chromatically pure; diluted; "an unsaturated red"
	6.	dull - not keenly felt; "a dull throbbing"; "dull pain" sharp - keenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a sharp edge or point; "a sharp pain"; "sharp winds"
	7.	dull - slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; "so dense he never understands anything I say to him"; "never met anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick"- Thackeray; "dumb officials make some really dumb decisions"; "he was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse"; "worked with the slow students" dumb, slow, obtuse, dense, dim stupid - lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
	8.	dull - (of business) not active or brisk; "business is dull (or slow)"; "a sluggish market" sluggish, slow business enterprise, commercial enterprise, business - the activity of providing goods and services involving financial and commercial and industrial aspects; "computers are now widely used in business" inactive - lacking activity; lying idle or unused; "an inactive mine"; "inactive accounts"; "inactive machinery"
	9.	dull - not having a sharp edge or point; "the knife was too dull to be of any use" sharp - having or made by a thin edge or sharp point; suitable for cutting or piercing; "a sharp knife"; "a pencil with a sharp point"
	10.	dull - blunted in responsiveness or sensibility; "a dull gaze"; "so exhausted she was dull to what went on about her"- Willa Cather insensitive - deficient in human sensibility; not mentally or morally sensitive; "insensitive to the needs of the patients"
	11.	dull - not clear and resonant; sounding as if striking with or against something relatively soft; "the dull thud"; "thudding bullets" thudding nonresonant, unreverberant - not reverberant; lacking a tendency to reverberate
	12.	dull - darkened with overcast; "a dark day"; "a dull sky"; "the sky was leaden and thick" leaden cloudy - full of or covered with clouds; "cloudy skies"

dull

adjective

1. boring, tedious, dreary, flat, dry, plain, commonplace, tiresome, monotonous, prosaic, run-of-the-mill, humdrum, unimaginative, dozy, uninteresting, mind-numbing, ho-hum (informal), vapid, as dry as dust They can both be rather dull.
boring interesting, exciting

2. lifeless, dead, heavy, slow, indifferent, sluggish, insensitive, apathetic, listless, unresponsive, passionless, insensible We all feel dull and sleepy between 1 and 3pm.
lifeless active, lively, full of beans (informal)

3. drab, faded, muted, subdued, feeble, murky, sombre, toned-down, subfusc The stamp was a dull blue colour.

4. cloudy, dim, gloomy, dismal, overcast, leaden, turbid It's always dull and raining.
cloudy bright

5. muted, faint, suppressed, subdued, stifled, muffled, indistinct The coffin was closed with a dull thud.

6. blunt, dulled, blunted, not keen, not sharp, edgeless, unsharpened using the dull edge of her knife
blunt sharp, pointed

verb

1. relieve, blunt, lessen, moderate, soften, alleviate, allay, mitigate, assuage, take the edge off, palliate They gave him morphine to dull the pain.

2. cloud over, darken, grow dim, become cloudy Her eyes dulled and she gazed blankly.

3. dampen, reduce, check, depress, moderate, discourage, stifle, lessen, smother, sadden, dishearten, dispirit, deject Her illness failed to dull her optimism.

Translations

dull [dʌl]

A. ADJ (duller (compar) (dullest (superl)))

1. (= boring) [person, speech, book, evening, job] → aburrido, pesado; [place] → aburrido, soso; [style, food] → soso
deadly dull → terriblemente aburrido, aburridísimo
there's never a dull moment here in the office → aquí en la oficina no nos aburrimos nunca
as dull as ditchwater → terriblemente aburrido

2. (= not bright) [colour, metal, glow] → apagado; [eyes] → apagado, sin brillo; [hair, skin, complexion] → sin brillo; [weather] → nublado; [sky, day] → gris
his eyes were dull and lifeless → sus ojos estaban apagados y sin vida
dull, lifeless hair → pelo sin brillo, sin vida
it will be dull at first (Met) → al principio estará nublado

3. (= not sharp) [pain, feeling, sound] → sordo
it fell with a dull thud or thump → cayó con un golpe sordo

4. (= lethargic, withdrawn) [person, mood] → deprimido, desanimado

5. (= slow-witted) [person, mind] → torpe; [pupil] → lento
his senses or faculties are growing dull → está perdiendo facultades
to be dull of hearing → ser duro de oído

6. (= blunt) [blade, knife] → romo

7. (Comm) [trade, business, market] → flojo

B. VT [+ senses, blade] → embotar; [+ emotions] → enfriar; [+ pain] → aliviar; [+ sound] → amortiguar; [+ mind, memory] → entorpecer; [+ colour] → apagar; [+ mirror, metal] → deslustrar, quitar el brillo de; [+ sensitivity] → embrutecer; [+ grief] → atenuar
the explosion dulled her hearing → la explosión la dejó dura de oído

C. VI [light] → amortiguarse; [colour] → apagarse, perder intensidad; [metal] → deslustrarse, perder brillo; [memory] → entorpecerse; [senses] → embotarse
his eyes dulled → sus ojos perdieron brillo

dull [ˈdʌl]

adj

(= boring) [person] → ennuyeux/euse; [film, book, lesson, place] → ennuyeux/euse
He's nice, but a bit dull → Il est sympathique, mais un peu ennuyeux.

(= sluggish) [person] → engourdi(e)

(= slow) → borné(e)

(= lacklustre) → morne, terne

[sound] → sourd(e)

[pain] → sourd(e)

[colour, light] → sans éclat

[weather, day] → gris(e), maussade

[blade] → émoussé(e)

vt (= make less acute) [+ pain, grief] → atténuer; [+ senses, mind] → engourdir

(= grow dull) [eyes] → s'assombrir

[pain] → s'atténuer

[hearing] → baisser

dull

adj (+er)

(= not bright or shiny) light → trüb; glow → schwach; colour → matt, trüb; eyes → matt, glanzlos; hair, skin, metal, paintwork → stumpf, matt; weather, day → trüb, grau; sky → bedeckt; the sea was a dull grey → das Meer war mattgrau; it will be dull at first (weather forecast) → es wird anfangs bewölkt

(= boring) → langweilig; deadly dull, as dull as ditchwater or dishwater → todlangweilig; there’s never a dull moment → man langweilt sich keinen Augenblick

(= vague, muffled) sound, thud, ache, sensation → dumpf; he fell to the ground with a dull thud → er schlug dumpf auf den Boden auf

(= listless) person, mood → träge; gaze, expression → lustlos; (St Ex, Comm) market → flau; trading → schleppend; I felt dull and sleepy → ich fühlte mich träge und müde

(= slow-witted) → langsam; the dullest boy in the class → der schwächste Schüler in der Klasse; his senses/intellectual powers are growing dull → seine Sinne/geistigen Kräfte lassen langsam nach

(form, = blunt) knife, blade → stumpf

(= lessen) pain → betäuben; grief → lindern; senses, mind, sensitivity → abstumpfen; vision, hearing → trüben, schwächen; impression → schwächen; pleasure → dämpfen; emotionally dulled → (emotional) abgestumpft

(= make less bright) light, colour → dämpfen; metal, paintwork → stumpf werden lassen

(= muffle) sound → dämpfen

(form, = blunt) knife, blade → stumpf machen

vi (light) → schwächer werden; (colour) → verblassen; (eyes) → sich trüben

dull [dʌl]

1. adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl)))

a. (boring, book, evening) → noioso/a; (person, style) → insulso/a
as dull as ditchwater → una vera pizza

b. (dim, colour, eyes) → spento/a; (metal) → opaco/a; (overcast, weather, day, sky) → cupo/a, scuro/a, fosco/a; (muffled, sound, pain, thud) → sordo/a (Comm) (trade, business) → stagnante; (lacking spirit, person, mood) → svogliato/a; (blade) → smussato/a

c. (sight, hearing) → debole; (slow-witted, person, mind) → ottuso/a; (pupil) → lento/a

2. vt (mind, senses) → ottundere, annebbiare; (blade) → smussare; (impression, memory) → offuscare; (pleasure, pain, grief) → attenuare, attutire; (sound, colour) → smozzare; (metal) → rendere opaco/a

dull [dʌl]

1. adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl)))

a. (boring, book, evening) → noioso/a; (person, style) → insulso/a
as dull as ditchwater → una vera pizza

c. (sight, hearing) → debole; (slow-witted, person, mind) → ottuso/a; (pupil) → lento/a

dull

adj dull [dal]

1 slow to learn or to understand The clever children help the dull ones. bot, dom بَليد، بَطيء الفَهْم бавно схващащ hloupý sløv schwer von Begriff κουτός lento, torpe, tonto kõva peaga کند ذهن؛ خنگ hidasjärkinen borné קְשֶה-תְּפִישָׂה सुस्त, मूढ़ glup, trom lassú észjárású bodoh seinn til lento 鈍い 우둔한 bukas stulbs; truls lembap langzaam treg i oppfatningen, tungnem tępy estúpido greoi тупой hlúpy neumen glup långsam, trög โง่ kalın kafalı 遲鈍的 тупий, нездатний کند ذہن chậm hiểu 迟钝的

2 not bright or clear a dull day. vaal, troostelose غائِم мъглив mdlý, zasmušilý mørk; grå trübe μουντός, θαμπός apagado sombune مبهم؛ گرفته harmaa maussade בָּהִיר धुंधला taman, tmuran egyhangú; tompa muram grár; myrkur, dökkur cupo どんよりした 흐린 apsiniaukęs, niūrus, rūškanas apmācies; drūms; blāvs pudar somber grå, tung, overskyet pochmurny encoberto mohorât пасмурный pochmúrny pust tmuran mulen มัวหมอง kapalı, sıkıcı, kasvetli, bulutlu 陰暗的，呆笨的 похмурий; безрадісний ابر آلودہ đục; mờ 阴暗的，呆笨的

3 not exciting or interesting a very dull book. vervelig مُمِل، غَيْر مُشَوِّق скучен nudný kedelig langweilig ανιαρός monótono, aburrido igav کسل کننده tylsä ennuyeux מְשַעֲמֵם निरुत्साह nezanimljiv unalmas membosankan leiðinlegur noioso つまらない 무미건조한 nuobodus neinteresants; garlaicīgs bosan saai kjedelig, trist nudny enfadonho plictisitor скучный nudný dolgočasen dosadan []tråkig, trist ไม่น่าสนใจ sıkıcı, yavan, ilginç olmayan 單調的 нудний بے مزا buồn tẻ 单调的

adv dully

vervelige كما يَنْبَغي، وِفْقا للأُصول скучно hloupě; nudně kedeligt langweilig ανιαρά monótonamente, estúpidamente igavalt با کندی؛ بطور ملال انگیز tylsästi d'une manière ennuyeuse בְּאוֹפֶן מְשַׁעֲמֵם उचित रीति से dosadno, tromo unalmasan, tompán secara membosankan dauflega, heimskulega in modo noioso 鈍く 둔하게, 흐리게 , 지루하게 nuobodžiai, bukai stulbi; truli; blāvi tidak bersemangat saai tregt, trist, monotont nudnie, tępo estupidamente plictisitor тупо; скучно hlúpo; nudne dolgočasno dosadno trögt, tråkigt, trist อย่างไม่มีชีวิตชีวา gerektiği gibi, hakkıyla 單調地 тупо بغیر دلچسپی کے đần độn; buồn tẻ 单调地

n dullness

verveling بَلادَه، بُطء الفَهْم скука hloupost; nudnost kedsommelighed die Stumpfsinnigkeit ανία lo aburrido, insulsez igavus کندی؛ ملالت tylsyys caractère ennuyeux שִׁעֲמוּם सुस्ती, निरुत्साहता, धुंधलापन tromost, tupost tompaság, unalom kebodohan heimska; deyfð; andleysi monotonia 鈍さ 둔함, 흐림, 지루함 nuobodumas, bukumas stulbums; trulums; blāvums kebosanan saai treghet, tristhet nuda, tępota estupidez plictiseală тупость; скука nechápavosť topost dosada tröghet, tråkighet ความโง่; ไม่มีชีวิตชีวา sıkıcılık, kasvetlilik 單調 тупість; нудота بے لطفی sự đần độn; buồn tẻ 单调

dull → فاتر nezáživný kedelig langweilig πληκτικός apagado tylsä insipide tup monotono 面白くない 단조로운 saai matt nudny desinteressante глупый tråkig น่าเบื่อ sıkıcı buồn tẻ 乏味的

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