deadening

noun

dead·en·ing | \ ˈded-niŋ

How to pronounce deadening (audio)

, -dᵊn-iŋ\

Definition of deadening

: material used to soundproof walls or floors

Examples of deadening in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The deadening of Yankees-Red Sox allowed other flowers to bloom. — Jason Gay, WSJ, "Uh-Oh. The Yankees and Red Sox Hate Each Other Again," 12 Apr. 2018 Meanwhile, powertrain drone and road noise have been addressed by numerous new sound-deadening and cabin-insulating measures. — Steve Siler, Car and Driver, "2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback: iM Just a Corolla Now," 23 Mar. 2018 Watch the whole thing below, and keep watch for the slow deadening of his eyes throughout the segment. — Tom Philip, GQ, "Watch Jordan Klepper Eat Donald Trump's Entire McDonald's Order," 8 Dec. 2017 The deadening, coercive nature of this kind of thinking is disturbing. — Paula Marantz Cohen, WSJ, "There’s No Virtue in Joining an Angry Mob," 19 Oct. 2017 Assimilating to adult reality in the corrupt world of Elsinore is a deadening process. — Charles Mcnulty, latimes.com, "An actor transcends age: John Douglas Thompson melts away the years to play Hamlet at A.C.T.," 3 Oct. 2017 This is a traumatic model of black history whose hallmark is a deadening, Oedipal regularity. — Ismail Muhammad, Slate Magazine, "How critics have misconstrued his influence on today’s great black nonfiction writers.," 15 Feb. 2017 The tetrodotoxin is up to 1,200 times more poisonous than that of cyanide, and can cause deadening of the tongue and lips, dizziness, vomiting, arrhythmia, difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis and, if left untreated, death. — Daniel Jameson, CNT, "The 10 Most Dangerous Animals in the World," 10 July 2017 That means additional sound deadening, a different carpet, and a thicker cargo cover compared with its Opel sibling. — David Beard, Car and Driver, "2018 Buick Regal TourX Dissected: Exterior, Chassis, Powertrain, and More!," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deadening.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about deadening

Dictionary Entries near deadening

Statistics for deadening

Last Updated

23 Apr 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for deadening

The first known use of deadening was circa 1874

See more words from the same year

Comments on deadening

What made you want to look up deadening? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

assiduous

showing great care, attention, and effort

Test Your Vocabulary

Finance Words Quiz

The etymology of mortgage is related most closely to which two words?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ