1
as in dull
lacking a surface luster or gloss
it might be best to paint the exposed pipes with a dulled enamel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in faded
lacking intensity of color
the dulled colors and brownish tones are characteristic of this painter's works
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in blunted
lacking sharpness of edge or point
the dulled blade of a knife that had been stored in a drawer full of miscellaneous utensils
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in reduced
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
the aspirin dulled his headache and he was soon feeling better
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bleached
to make white or lighter by removing color
the painting's once-vivid colors have been dulled by time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dulled
Jeff Amy, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
And even supporters of the systems say searchers can become dulled by a multitude of false alarms and miss the few actual weapons.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
That all unfortunately overshadows the palpable affection Gosling and Emma Stone have in their second of three movie romances, and even Gosling’s playboy charisma gets dulled a bit.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
And then the steakhouse’s growth spurt dulled.
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2026
Despite running a mere 94 minutes, the film’s multiple threads are presented in a manner so outstretched their totality becomes dulled, as the inherent allure of the saga at large gradually wanes in energy.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026
Wear and tear from the previous season may have dulled them.
—Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 11 Mar. 2026
Many agreed the change dulled the beloved flavor of the starchy staple.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Penumbral eclipses are even subtler, with the lunar surface merely dulled.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
And even supporters of the systems say searchers can become dulled by a multitude of false alarms and miss the few actual weapons.
—Jeff Amy, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
And even supporters of the systems say searchers can become dulled by a multitude of false alarms and miss the few actual weapons.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
That all unfortunately overshadows the palpable affection Gosling and Emma Stone have in their second of three movie romances, and even Gosling’s playboy charisma gets dulled a bit.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
And then the steakhouse’s growth spurt dulled.
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2026
Despite running a mere 94 minutes, the film’s multiple threads are presented in a manner so outstretched their totality becomes dulled, as the inherent allure of the saga at large gradually wanes in energy.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026
Wear and tear from the previous season may have dulled them.
—Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 11 Mar. 2026
Many agreed the change dulled the beloved flavor of the starchy staple.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Penumbral eclipses are even subtler, with the lunar surface merely dulled.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dulled
Adjective
-
The employees of Rockin’ Grandma’s roam the grounds of the retreat site, which boasts multiple structures, and are visited by a series of guest speakers whose lectures range from the merely dull to the truly Dada.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Charvet’s ethos is about discretion, but the clothes are not dull.—
Marisa Meltzer,
Vanity Fair,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Actress Letitia Wright attended a Prada event in a faded denim and leather jacket.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
-
That fall, an old friend reached out to my father through the underground communications network, dialling a number printed on a faded piece of plastic Dymo tape and speaking to him from a public phone booth.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Orientation matters; garlic is planted vertically, with the root (blunted) end of the clove facing down, and the sprout (pointy) end facing up.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Flat, calm but earnest, mildly anxious, blunted, volatile.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The character, played by Esteban Andres Cruz, has been reduced to a simpering stereotype who makes a pass at a cop and mimics a blow job.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Seen from this perspective, ecology cannot be reduced to questions of proximity alone.—
Manuela Moscoso,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Some vignettes had the grainy shading of excessive toner powder, while others were bleached out.—
Katherine Rochester,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The feat, coupled with her easygoing personality and signature bleached halo hair, launched her to global fame.—
Zara Irshad,
San Francisco Chronicle,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Its 85-inch QLED display features a highly matte anti-glare screen, so your art and movies look lifelike without annoying reflections.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The long-wearing formula sets to a semi-matte finish that resists oil and humidity, too.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
26 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Hours and hours of rolling green hills and rice paddies passed by the windows, the pale pools amid the shoots flashing bits of sky.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Many of the biblical references, including the rider of the pale horse, come from the Book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, which is ostensibly about the second coming of Christ and judgment day.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
His appetite for complexity was increasingly indulged as a means of branding cities and institutions, and his novel forms were deployed as blunt metaphors to absorb and obscure contradictions rather than negotiate them in material and spatial terms.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Zhao is blunt that AI in health care will only work if clinicians buy in.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dulled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dulled. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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