Make dull in appearance.

Roget 254: be blunt, render blunt etc. adj.; obtund^†, dull; take off the point, take off the edge; turn.   

Become dull or lusterless in appearance; lose shine or brightness.

Deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping.

synonyms: damp, dampen, muffle, mute, tone down.

Roget 174: be moderate etc. adj.; keep within bounds, keep within compass; sober down, settle down; keep the peace, remit, relent, take in sail.    moderate, soften, mitigate, temper, accoy^†; attemper^†, contemper^†; mollify, lenify^†, dulcify^†, dull, take off the edge, blunt, obtund^†, sheathe, subdue, chasten; sober down, tone down, smooth down; weaken etc. 160; lessen etc. (decrease) 36; check palliate.    tranquilize, pacify, assuage, appease, swag, lull, soothe, compose, still, calm, calm down, cool, quiet, hush, quell, sober, pacify, tame, damp, lay, allay, rebate, slacken, smooth, alleviate, rock to sleep, deaden, smooth, throw cold water on, throw a wet blanket over, turn off; slake; curb etc. (restrain) 751; tame etc. (subjugate) 749; smooth over; pour oil on the waves, pour oil on the troubled waters; pour balm into, mattre de l'eau dans son vin [Fr.].    go out like a lamb, roar you as gently as any sucking dove" [Midsummer-Night's Dream]. ... show more

Roget 837: be dejected etc. adj.; grieve; mourn etc. (lament) 839; take on, give way, lose heart, despond, droop, sink.    lower, look downcast, frown, pout; hang down the head; pull a long face, make a long face; laugh on the wrong side of the mouth; grin a ghastly smile; look blue, look like a drowned man; lay to heart, take to heart.    mope, brood over; fret; sulk; pine, pine away; yearn; repine etc. (regret) 833; despair etc. 859.    refrain from laughter, keep one's countenance; be grave, look grave etc. adj.; repress a smile.    depress; discourage, dishearten; dispirit; damp, dull, deject, lower, sink, dash, knock down, unman, prostrate, break one's heart; frown upon; cast a gloom, cast a shade on; sadden; damp one's hopes, dash one's hopes, wither one's hopes; weigh on the mind, lie heavy on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, lie heavy on the spirits, prey on the spirits; damp the spirits, depress the spirits.    ... show more

Dutch: dempen

Make numb or insensitive.

synonyms: benumb, blunt, numb.

Make dull or blunt:
— Too much cutting dulls the knife's edge.

synonym: blunt.

Become less interesting or attractive.

synonym: pall.

Make less lively or vigorous.

Lacking in liveliness or animation.

Roget 849: simple, plain; homely, homespun; ordinary, household.    unaffected; ingenuous, sincere (artless) 703; free from affectation, free from ornament; simplex munditiis [Lat.] [Horace]; sans facon [Fr.], en deshabille [Fr.].    chaste, inornate^†, severe.    unadorned, bare, unornamented, undecked^†, ungarnished, unarranged^†, untrimmed, unvarnished.    bald, flat, dull.    ... show more

Roget 32: small, little; diminutive etc. (small in size) 193; minute; fine; inconsiderable, paltry etc. (unimportant) 643; faint etc. (weak) 160; slender, light, slight, scanty, scant, limited; meager etc. (insufficient) 640; sparing; few etc. 103; low, so-so, middling, tolerable, no great shakes; below par, under par, below the mark; at a low ebb; halfway; moderate, modest; tender, subtle.    inappreciable, evanescent, infinitesimal, homeopathic, very small; atomic, corpuscular, microscopic, molecular, subatomic.    mere, simple, sheer, stark, bare; near run.    dull, petty, shallow, stolid, ungifted, unintelligent.    ... show more

Roget 837: cheerless, joyless, spiritless; uncheerful, uncheery^†; unlively^†; unhappy etc. 828; melancholy, dismal, somber, dark, gloomy, triste [Fr.], clouded, murky, lowering, frowning, lugubrious, funereal, mournful, lamentable, dreadful.    dreary, flat; dull, dull as a beetle, dull as ditchwater^†; depressing etc. v.. melancholy as a gib cat;" oppressed with melancholy, a prey to melancholy; downcast, downhearted; down in the mouth, down in one's luck; heavy-hearted; in the dumps, down in the dumps, in the suds, in the sulks, in the doldrums; in doleful dumps, in bad humor; sullen; mumpish^†, dumpish, mopish^†, moping; moody, glum; sulky etc. (discontented) 832; out of sorts, out of humor, out of heart, out of spirits; ill at ease, low spirited, in low spirits, a cup too low; weary etc. 841; discouraged, disheartened; desponding; chapfallen^†, chopfallen^†, jaw fallen, crest fallen.    sad, pensive, penseroso [It], tristful^†; dolesome^†, doleful; woebegone; lacrymose, lachrymose, in tears, melancholic, hypped^†, hypochondriacal, bilious, jaundiced, atrabilious^†, saturnine, splenetic; lackadaisical.    serious, sedate, staid, stayed; grave as a judge, grave as an undertaker, grave as a mustard pot; sober, sober as a judge, solemn, demure; grim; grim-faced, grim-visaged; rueful, wan, long-faced.    disconsolate; unconsolable, inconsolable; forlorn, comfortless, desolate, desole [Fr.], sick at heart; soul sick, heart sick; au desespoir [Fr.]; in despair etc. 859; lost.    overcome; broken down, borne down, bowed down; heartstricken etc. (mental suffering) 828^†; cut up, dashed, sunk; unnerved, unmanned; down fallen, downtrodden; broken-hearted; careworn.    ... show more

Roget 575: feeble, bald, tame, meager, jejune, vapid, bland, trashy, lukewarm, cold, frigid, poor, dull, dry, languid; colorless, enervated; proposing, prosy, prosaic; unvaried, monotonous, weak, washy, wishy-washy; sketchy, slight.    careless, slovenly, loose, lax (negligent) 460; slipshod, slipslop^†; inexact; puerile, childish; flatulent; rambling etc. (diffuse) 573.    ... show more

Roget 160: weak, feeble, debile^†; impotent etc. 158; relaxed, unnerved, etc. v.; sapless, strengthless^†, powerless; weakly, unstrung, flaccid, adynamic^†, asthenic^†; nervous.    soft, effeminate, feminate^†, womanly.    frail, fragile, shattery^†; flimsy, unsubstantial, insubstantial, gimcrack, gingerbread; rickety, creaky, creaking, cranky; craichy^†; drooping, tottering etc. v.. broken, lame, withered, shattered, shaken, crazy, shaky; palsied etc. 158; decrepit.    languid, poor, infirm; faint, faintish^†; sickly etc. (disease) 655; dull, slack, evanid^†, spent, short-winded, effete; weather-beaten; decayed, rotten, worn, seedy, languishing, wasted, washy, laid low, pulled down, the worse for wear.    unstrengthened etc. 159^†, unsupported, unaided, unassisted; aidless^†, defenseless etc. 158; cantilevered (support) 215.    on its last legs; weak as a child, weak as a baby, weak as a chicken, weak as a cat, weak as a rat; weak as water, weak as water gruel, weak as gingerbread, weak as milk and water; colorless etc. 429.    ... show more

Emitting or reflecting very little light.

Being or made softer or less loud or clear:
— The dull boom of distant breaking waves.

synonyms: muffled, muted, softened.

Roget 405: inaudible; scarcely audible, just audible; low, dull; stifled, muffled; hoarse, husky; gentle, soft, faint; floating; purling, flowing etc. v.; whispered etc. v.; liquid; soothing; dulcet etc. (melodious) 413; susurrant^†, susurrous^†.    ... show more

So lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness:
— A dull play.
— His competent but dull performance.

synonyms: boring, deadening, ho-hum, irksome, slow, tedious, tiresome, wearisome.

Roget 841: wearying etc. v.; wearing; wearisome, tiresome, irksome; uninteresting, stupid, bald, devoid of interest, dry, monotonous, dull, arid, tedious, humdrum, mortal, flat; prosy, prosing; slow, soporific, somniferous.    disgusting etc. v.; unenjoyed^†.    weary, tired etc. v.; drowsy etc. (sleepy) 683; uninterested, flagging, used up, worn out, blase, life-weary, weary of life; sick of.    ... show more

Roget 843: dull, dull as ditch water; unentertaining, uninteresting, flat, dry as dust; unfunny, unlively^†, logy [U.S.]; unimaginative; insulse^†; dry as dust; prosy, prosing, prosaic; matter of fact, commonplace, pedestrian, pointless; weary stale flat and unprofitable" [Hamlet]. stupid, slow, flat, insipid, vapid, humdrum, monotonous; melancholic etc. 837; stolid etc. 499; plodding.    boring, tiresome, tedious etc. 841.    ... show more

Polish: niezajmujący, nudny, nieinteresujący

of color Very low in saturation; highly diluted.

Not keenly felt.

Slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity:
— Although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick.

synonyms: dense, dim, dumb, obtuse, slow.

Roget 254: blunt, obtuse, dull, bluff; edentate, toothless.   

Roget 823: insensible, unconscious; impassive, impassible; blind to, deaf to, dead to; unsusceptible, insusceptible; unimpressionable^†, unimpressible^†; passionless, spiritless, heartless, soulless; unfeeling, unmoral.    apathetic; leuco-^†, phlegmatic; dull, frigid; cold blooded, cold hearted; cold as charity; flat, maudlin, obtuse, inert, supine, sluggish, torpid, torpedinous^†, torporific^†; sleepy etc. (inactive) 683; languid, half-hearted, tame; numbed; comatose; anaesthetic etc. 376; stupefied, chloroformed, drugged, stoned; palsy-stricken.    indifferent, lukewarm; careless, mindless, regardless; inattentive etc. 458; neglectful etc. 460; disregarding.    unconcerned, nonchalant, pococurante^†, insouciant, sans souci [Fr.]; unambitious etc. 866.    unaffected, unruffled, unimpressed, uninspired, unexcited, unmoved, unstirred, untouched, unshocked^†, unstruck^†; unblushing etc. (shameless) 885; unanimated; vegetative.    callous, thick-skinned, hard-nosed, pachydermatous, impervious; hardened; inured, casehardened; steeled against, proof against; imperturbable etc. (inexcitable) 826^†; unfelt.    ... show more

Roget 499: unintelligent [Applied to persons], unintellectual, unreasoning; mindless, witless, reasoningless^†, brainless; halfbaked; having no head etc. 498; not bright etc. 498; inapprehensible^†.    weak headed, addle headed, puzzle headed, blunder headed, muddle headed, muddy headed, pig headed, beetle headed, buffle headed^†, chuckle headed, mutton headed, maggoty headed, grossheaded^†; beef headed, fat witted, fat-headed.    weak-minded, feeble-minded; dull minded, shallow minded, lack-brained; rattle-brained, rattle headed; half witted, lean witted, short witted, dull witted, blunt-witted, shallow-pated^†, clod-pated^†, addle-pated^†, addle-brained^†; dim-sighted, short-sighted; thick-skulled; weak in the upper story.    shallow, borne, weak, wanting, soft, sappy, spoony; dull, dull as a beetle; stupid, heavy, insulse^†, obtuse, blunt, stolid, doltish; asinine; inapt etc. 699; prosaic etc. 843; hebetudinous^†.    childish, child-like; infantine^†, infantile, babyish, babish^†; puerile, anile; simple etc. (credulous) 486; old-womanish.    fatuous, idiotic, imbecile, driveling; blatant, babbling; vacant; sottish; bewildered etc. 475.    blockish^†, unteachable Boeotian, Boeotic; bovine; ungifted, undiscerning^†, unenlightened, unwise, unphilosophical^†; apish; simious^†.    foolish, silly, senseless, irrational, insensate, nonsensical, inept; maudlin.    narrow-minded etc. 481; bigoted etc. (obstinate) 606; giddy etc. (thoughtless) 458; rash etc. 863; eccentric etc. (crazed) 503.    [Applied to actions] foolish, unwise, injudicious, improper, unreasonable, without reason, ridiculous, absurd, idiotic, silly, stupid, asinine; ill-imagined, ill-advised, ill-judged, ill-devised; mal entendu [Fr.]; inconsistent, irrational, unphilosophical^†; extravagant etc. (nonsensical) 497; sleeveless, idle; pointless, useless etc. 645; inexpedient etc. 647; frivolous etc. (trivial) 643.    ... show more

Roget 422: dim, dull, lackluster, dingy, darkish, shorn of its beams, dark 421.    faint, shadowed forth; glassy; cloudy; misty etc. (opaque) 426; blear; muggy^†, fuliginous^†; nebulous, nebular; obnubilated^†, overcast, crepuscular, muddy, lurid, leaden, dun, dirty; looming etc. v.. pale etc. (colorless) 429; confused etc. (invisible) 447.    ... show more

Roget 376: insensible, unfeeling, senseless, impercipient^†, callous, thick-skinned, pachydermatous; hard, hardened; case hardened; proof, obtuse, dull; anaesthetic; comatose, paralytic, palsied, numb, dead.    ... show more

Polish: tępogłowy, tępy

of business Not active or brisk:
— Business is dull (or slow).

synonyms: slow, sluggish.

Roget 683: inactive; motionless etc. 265; unoccupied etc. (doing nothing) 681; unbusied^†.    indolent, lazy, slothful, idle, lusk^†, remiss, slack, inert, torpid, sluggish, otiose, languid, supine, heavy, dull, leaden, lumpish^†; exanimate^†, soulless; listless; drony^†, dronish^†; lazy as Ludlam's dog.    dilatory, laggard; lagging etc. v.; slow etc. 275; rusty, flagging; lackadaisical, maudlin, fiddle-faddle; pottering etc. v.; shilly-shally etc. (irresolute) 605.    sleeping, etc. v.; asleep; fast asleep, dead asleep, sound asleep; in a sound sleep; sound as a top, dormant, comatose; in the arms of Morpheus, in the lap of Morpheus.    sleepy, sleepful^†; dozy^†, drowsy, somnolent, torpescent^†, lethargic, lethargical^†; somnifacient^†; statuvolent^†, statuvolic^†; heavy, heavy with sleep; napping; somnific^†, somniferous; soporous^†, soporific, soporiferous^†; hypnotic; balmy, dreamy; unawakened, unawakened.    sedative etc. 174.    ... show more

Roget 172: inert, inactive, passive; torpid etc. 683; sluggish, dull, heavy, flat, slack, tame, slow, blunt; unreactive; lifeless, dead, uninfluential^†.    latent, dormant, smoldering, unexerted^†.    ... show more

Not having a sharp edge or point.

Blunted in responsiveness or sensibility.

Polish: otępiały

Not clear and resonant; sounding as if striking with or against something relatively soft:
— The dull thud.

synonym: thudding.

Darkened with overcast:
— A dull sky.

synonym: leaden.

Roget 429: uncolored etc. (color) etc. 428; colorless, achromatic, aplanatic^†; etiolate, etiolated; hueless^†, pale, pallid; palefaced^†, tallow-faced; faint, dull, cold, muddy, leaden, dun, wan, sallow, dead, dingy, ashy, ashen, ghastly, cadaverous, glassy, lackluster; discolored etc. v.. light-colored, fair, blond; white etc. 430.    pale as death, pale as ashes, pale as a witch, pale as a ghost, pale as a corpse, white as a corpse.    ... show more

Polish: szary, chmurny, pochmurny