dullness
/'dʌlnis/ Cách viết khác : (dullness) /'dʌlnis/
Definition
- Noun:
- The state or quality of lacking sharpness or keenness: This refers to an edge or point that is not sharp, or to a sensation that is not acute.
- The state of lacking brightness, vividness, or intensity: This can refer to a lack of visual brightness, color, or shine, or to a lack of liveliness in sound or feeling.
- The quality of being uninteresting, boring, or monotonous: This refers to something that fails to engage attention or interest.
- The quality of being slow in understanding or perception: This refers to a lack of quickness or acuity in the mind or senses.
Examples of Usage
Lacking sharpness or keenness:
- The dullness of the knife made cutting the vegetables difficult.
- A feeling of dullness persisted in his injured arm.
Lacking brightness or intensity:
- The dullness of the old painting's colors was noticeable.
- The sky had a gray dullness that promised rain.
Being uninteresting or boring:
- The dullness of the lecture made it hard to stay awake.
- He complained about the dullness of suburban life.
Being slow to understand:
- Her dullness in mathematics was a source of frustration for the teacher.
Advanced Usage
"A dullness of spirit": A state of low spirits, lethargy, or depression.
- After the bad news, a profound dullness of spirit settled over the household.
"To take the dullness off": To make something slightly less boring or monotonous.
- A bit of music helped to take the dullness off the long drive.
Variants and Related Words
Dull (adj): Not sharp; lacking intensity; boring; slow of understanding.
- a dull blade; a dull ache; a dull book; a dull student
Dully (adv): In a dull manner.
- He stared dully out the window.
Synonyms
- Bluntness: The quality of not having a sharp edge or point.
- Monotony: Lack of variety and interest; tedious repetition and routine.
- Denseness: The quality of being slow to understand; stupidity.
- Dimness: The state of not being bright or clear.
- Tedium: The state of being tedious; boredom.
Antonyms
- Sharpness: The quality of having a keen edge or point.
- Brightness: The quality of emitting or reflecting light vividly.
- Brilliance: Intense brightness or exceptional talent.
- Keenness: Sharpness; eagerness; intellectual acuity.
- Interest: The feeling of wanting to know or learn about something.
Related Phrases and Idioms
To dull the pain/senses: To make a pain or sensation less acute.
- The medication helped to dull the pain.
As dull as dishwater: Extremely boring or uninteresting.
- His presentation was as dull as dishwater.
Never a dull moment: Used to say that a situation is always exciting or busy.
- With three young children, there's never a dull moment in their house.
Noun
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without sharpness or clearness of edge or point
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the dullness of the pencil made his writing illegible
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lack of sensibility
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there was a dullness in his heart
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without him the dullness of her life crept into her work no matter how she tried to compartmentalize it.
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a lack of visual brightness
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the brightness of the orange sky was reflected in the dullness of the orange sea
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the quality of lacking interestingness
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the stories were of a dullness to bring a buffalo to its knees
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the quality of being slow to understand
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