1
as in reduces
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
the aspirin dulled his headache and he was soon feeling better
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fades
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 dulls
The common expectation is that loss dulls over time, that the sharp edges round off.
—
Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2026
To Prevent Dull Edges Chef's Knives A sharp chef's knife can make or break your dinner prep, and putting it in the dishwasher dulls the blade over time.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2026
His muscles waste, his mind dulls, his body collapses inward until only a voice remains, thin and disembodied.
—Gilberto Lopes, STAT, 12 Feb. 2026
The repetition dulls whatever voltage the pairing once carried.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2026
Yes, the glossy aesthetic occasionally dulls the impact of the director’s more tactile sensibilities, and a few script contrivances stretch believability.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Grounding Is the Way Back Too much technical connection dulls intuition; many leaders describe their clearest thinking happening away from screens.
—C200, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Insisting on noninterference, Beijing offers foreign leaders capital and legitimacy without requiring transparency, human rights safeguards, or competitive elections—a model that strengthens incumbents and dulls democratic accountability.
—Jane Harman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2025
None of that dulls the original game, nor its portrayal of Alma.
—Will Borger, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2026
To Prevent Dull Edges Chef's Knives A sharp chef's knife can make or break your dinner prep, and putting it in the dishwasher dulls the blade over time.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2026
His muscles waste, his mind dulls, his body collapses inward until only a voice remains, thin and disembodied.
—Gilberto Lopes, STAT, 12 Feb. 2026
The repetition dulls whatever voltage the pairing once carried.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2026
Yes, the glossy aesthetic occasionally dulls the impact of the director’s more tactile sensibilities, and a few script contrivances stretch believability.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Grounding Is the Way Back Too much technical connection dulls intuition; many leaders describe their clearest thinking happening away from screens.
—C200, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Insisting on noninterference, Beijing offers foreign leaders capital and legitimacy without requiring transparency, human rights safeguards, or competitive elections—a model that strengthens incumbents and dulls democratic accountability.
—Jane Harman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2025
None of that dulls the original game, nor its portrayal of Alma.
—Will Borger, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dulls
Verb
-
Lower-temperature graphite production The second pathway, discovered by NLR and NCSU, reduces the temperature required to produce the mineral.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Mar. 2026
-
By revitalizing dormant follicles and promoting the transition from the telogen phase back to anagen, minoxidil reduces the overall quantity of hair lost.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Gorman's family said earlier this week that her murder cannot be a case that fades from public attention.—
Lauren Victory,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
As the Labubu frenzy fades, HSBC last month trimmed its revenue growth forecast for Pop Mart this year from around 30% to under 24%, and expects a 11% to 13% cut in 2026-2027 earnings.—
Elaine Yu,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This is the type of consistency that numbs fans from their love of the game.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Cold water immersion constricts blood vessels, reduces swelling, numbs sore areas, and flushes lactic acid from the muscles.—
Outside,
Outside,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
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His owner, Hannah Gleason from Oklahoma, told Newsweek that the merle gene isn’t a coloring gene rather than a gene that bleaches the fur and causes lack of pigmentation which can lead to birth defects, blindness, deafness, or sometimes all three.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Niacinamide brightens the look of dark circles, while adenosine smooths the appearance of wrinkles over time.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Creative courage grows with practice, as a nurturing New Moon brightens your 5th House of Inspiration and encourages self-expression through personal projects or other ways of letting off steam.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Give ample space to large vehicles - Trucks or buses can create a water spray that diminishes visibility.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Ned Bair, a research associate at the Earth Research Institute at UC Santa Barbara, said that while the total number of avalanches may decrease over time as the overall snowpack diminishes, the ones that do occur could become more intense due to climate change.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That limits air movement, reduces water infiltration, restricts root growth, and weakens biological activity.—
Dr. Avishesh Neupane,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2026
-
By Thursday night, geomagnetic activity weakens and retreats north, making aurora visibility in Iowa unlikely or very limited.—
Cooper Worth,
Des Moines Register,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The cinematography drains vitality from even its most visually obvious ideas with lighting that blunts the impact of nearly every other department.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
25 Mar. 2026
-
By this decade, your body has started to naturally lose muscle mass, and putting on new muscle may be more difficult due to anabolic resistance, which blunts the muscle’s ability to respond to external stimuli like exercise and protein.—
Emma Loewe,
Outside,
1 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dulls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dulls. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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