as in deadening
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1
as in reducing
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
the aspirin dulled his headache and he was soon feeling better
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bleaching
to make white or lighter by removing color
the painting's once-vivid colors have been dulled by time
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Recent Examples of dulling
Kansas City Star, 24 May 2026
Glycolic acid removes dead, dulling surface cells to reveal more radiant skin and help vitamin C penetrate skin more effectively.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
The al fresco dining area is covered with beige tents, dulling the landscape.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 1 May 2026
At Source puts seven years of joint practice and mutual magnetism to tape without dulling the dynamic buzz of their live sets.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
Also, don't store beans or ground coffee in the refrigerator—the coffee may absorb moisture and odors, dulling its flavor.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 20 Feb. 2026
There are gobs of money to be made selling enterprise software, but dulling the impact of AI is also a useful feint.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Here, in the eyes of the reluctant young scholar, was a vital antidote to the dulling effects of habit and routine.
—Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Older workers face forced plateaus as organizations hesitate to invest in workers over 50, assuming their time is limited, minds are dulling, and retirement is imminent.
—Dan Pontefract, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
At some point, the bracket creep is going to overreach into the point of diminishing marginal returns — dulling regular seasons and perhaps ultimately even eventually interest in the postseasons.
—Kansas City Star, 24 May 2026
Glycolic acid removes dead, dulling surface cells to reveal more radiant skin and help vitamin C penetrate skin more effectively.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
The al fresco dining area is covered with beige tents, dulling the landscape.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 1 May 2026
At Source puts seven years of joint practice and mutual magnetism to tape without dulling the dynamic buzz of their live sets.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
Also, don't store beans or ground coffee in the refrigerator—the coffee may absorb moisture and odors, dulling its flavor.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 20 Feb. 2026
There are gobs of money to be made selling enterprise software, but dulling the impact of AI is also a useful feint.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Here, in the eyes of the reluctant young scholar, was a vital antidote to the dulling effects of habit and routine.
—Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Older workers face forced plateaus as organizations hesitate to invest in workers over 50, assuming their time is limited, minds are dulling, and retirement is imminent.
—Dan Pontefract, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dulling
Verb
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But after years of record investment by the state in such wildfire risk mitigation, two key money sources are drying up, potentially reducing the state’s annual budget for vegetation removal by hundreds of millions of dollars.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
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Although reducing carbon pollution, which stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, is key to tackling the climate crisis, slashing methane has been seen as something of a low-hanging fruit.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Nolasco said a taper is the favorite haircut these days and there’s also players bleaching their hair blond for the playoffs.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
-
Justine Skye took this mousy brown look to the next level by bleaching her brows to match.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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The result can appear not only as exhaustion, but also irritability, decreased concentration, emotional numbing, sleep disruption, and heightened anxiety.—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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Now after four years of ongoing horrors in Ukraine, and more than two years of watching slaughter and suffering in Gaza, the latest war filling our feeds is just another numbing form of content, a digital arena in which competing forces try to assert conflicting viewpoints.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Simple steps like version pinning or requiring a cool-down period before new library releases are available to developers can go a very long way toward blunting the supply chain attacks that are about to become far more common.—
Philip Martin,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
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South Africa’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time in three years, in effect blunting a $1 billion fuel relief package designed to soften the blow of surging oil prices.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
Verb
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At Eau Bar during early sunset, spring for a poolside lounger to catch a soul-stirring ceremony of bodu beru drummers walking the edge of a circular infinity pool, torch-lighting a fire ring backed by a fading horizon.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
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The components might be familiar—guitars that sound like they’re played through a busted Zenith TV at full volume, heavy acoustic strumming à la ’90s folk-grunge group Days of the New, Slocum’s fading read-out of a voice—but they’re all pulled into slightly unusual shapes.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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The Yale researchers specifically have noted that deeper anesthetic states may contribute to postoperative cognitive problems, particularly among older adults and patients with preexisting medical conditions.—
Dr. John Guzzi,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2026
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The album’s ideal love is anesthetic, a script for surviving daily chaos and tragedy that doesn’t require reciprocation.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Pitchfork,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sam Lambert laid down a safety squeeze, deadening the ball in front of the plate and scoring Balls to trim the lead to 3-1.—
Dave Montrose,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2026
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Another suggestion was requiring special sound-deadening balls, currently available, that lower the decibel levels considerably.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Other ingredients to look for include SPF, present in Supergoop’s formula, and vitamin C, a brightening agent that’s whipped into Nerrā’s dry oil.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
27 May 2026
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Grab it in brightening pink or yellow shades, or go with the transparent option for a more flexible finish.—
Olivia Cigliano,
InStyle,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dulling. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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