deadened; deadening
ˈded-niŋ 
ˈde-dᵊn-iŋ
1
: to impair in vigor or sensation : blunt
deadened his enthusiasm
deadened the pain
2
a
: to deprive of brilliance
b
: to make vapid or spiritless
oxygen deadens wine
c
: to make (something, such as a wall) impervious to sound
3
: to deprive of life : kill
: to become dead : lose life or vigor
Examples of deaden in a Sentence
He took aspirin to deaden the pain.
The new insulation will help to deaden the noise from the street outside.
Recent Examples on the Web
Merrill had the same impulse—the need to become a self not necessarily free of all that money could buy but not crippled or deadened by it, either.
—
Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
The evening signaled that this is not the type of show that will deaden an artist behind glass vitrines.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Considerable resources were devoted to acoustics that deaden the train noise from the outside.
—Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Schjerfbeck also liked the way Degas bleached his pastels to deaden their tone.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deaden
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Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
The evening signaled that this is not the type of show that will deaden an artist behind glass vitrines.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Considerable resources were devoted to acoustics that deaden the train noise from the outside.
—Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Schjerfbeck also liked the way Degas bleached his pastels to deaden their tone.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deaden
Cite this Entry
“Deaden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deaden. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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