deadened
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Made or become less intense; weakened or diminished: Refers to something that has been reduced in strength, force, or severity.
- Devoid of physical sensation; numb: Describes a part of the body that has lost feeling, often due to an anesthetic or injury.
Examples of Usage
- Adjective:
- The deadened pangs of hunger made the wait more bearable. (The feeling of hunger had become less sharp and intense.)
- His gums were deadened from the novocaine. (His gums were numb and without sensation due to the anesthetic.)
- She felt no discomfort as the dentist drilled her deadened tooth. (She felt no pain because the tooth was numb.)
Advanced Usage
- Used figuratively to describe emotional or psychological desensitization:
- A public deadened by continuous television coverage of atrocities. (A public whose emotional response has been weakened or made less sensitive due to repeated exposure to shocking events.)
Variants and Related Words
- Deaden (verb): To make something less intense, strong, or sensitive.
- Thick curtains help to deaden the noise from the street.
- Deadening (adjective/noun): Causing a loss of force, sensation, or vitality; the act of making something deadened.
- The deadening effect of routine. (The effect that makes life feel dull and less vibrant.)
Synonyms
- Numbed: Deprived of the power of sensation.
- Dulled: Made less intense or sharp.
- Desensitized: Made less sensitive or reactive.
- Muffled: Made quieter or less distinct (often for sounds).
- Blunted: Made less sharp or effective.
Antonyms
- Intensified: Made stronger or more extreme.
- Acute: Sharp, severe, or keenly felt.
- Sensitive: Quick to detect or respond to slight changes or stimuli.
Adjective
- made or become less intense
- the deadened pangs of hunger
- devoid of physical sensation; numb
- his gums were dead from the novocain
- she felt no discomfort as the dentist drilled her deadened tooth
- a public desensitized by continuous television coverage of atrocities