DULLY Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

dully

adverb

Definition of dully

as in dimly

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Dissimilar Words

as in sluggishly

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dully Yikes, this finale fell as flat and dully as Janet’s solo cup hit Danny’s head. — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 30 July 2026 His audiences stare back at him, dully hostile. — Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 14 May 2026 As a result, unlike what his name would suggest, Unique is a fairly generic loner who dully seeks vengeance. — Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026 For a dully cynical take on the OnlyFans economy, there’s Euphoria, but for a more affirming consideration, Margo is well worth the subscription. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026 If people in the old days really talked so slowly and dully, more would have died of boredom than of disease. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dully

Adverb

Adjacent to the pool and up a set of stairs, the brilliant, elusive, and unusual space offers an even better view of the city skyline, and becomes dimly-lit as the night comes.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026
That's why the plants often struggle in the average dimly lit living room.

— Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 July 2026

Definition of dimly

Adverb

The fantasy of a cultural architecture that’s as flexible as culture itself has been kicking around for more than 100 years, and there’s something obscurely disappointing about seeing a technocratic version get put into practice.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 29 July 2026
This is the year that the Bob Baker Marionettes — whose hipster cred and general renown increased when the theater moved to Highland Park from its longtime home tucked obscurely west of downtown — played Coachella.

— Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026

Definition of obscurely

Adverb

Unlike Mamdani, whom Platner has often been lazily compared to, and who wielded social media to novel and wildly fruitful ends, Platner is not as much of a digital native, and is a far less polished poster.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 15 July 2026
This 469-mile parkway lazily meanders through the Appalachian Highlands in Virginia and the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

— Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026

Definition of lazily

Adverb

Nantz somberly delivered the emotional news while taking several breaks to compose himself.

— Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026
The season's penultimate scene finds Carl at his favorite haunt, sipping his morning coffee while somberly staring at his tiny Tom Ruffage diorama figure.

— Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026

Definition of somberly

Adverb

Cells divide lethargically, which slows the closing of cuts and healing of bruises.

— T.M. Brown, CNN Money, 26 June 2026
For minimal pay, the démineurs face death daily, lethargically; their work is so methodical, and its payoff so distant, that no one really celebrates them.

— Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025

Definition of lethargically

Adverb

And, when the military was eventually deployed, the most visible intervention was thousands of armed men controlling traffic and standing idly by the ruins.

— Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Gosha, a local station master, has a side-hustle of his own, turning a blind eye while bootleggers siphon diesel from the tankers that sit idly on the train tracks.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 July 2026

Definition of idly

Adverb

The show’s interests are theoretically in a nuclear family gradually coming back together, though even that theme is halfheartedly pursued.

— Alison Herman, Variety, 16 July 2026
At least four officers stood by during the assaults, while two others halfheartedly attempted to break them up.

— Jason Henry, Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026

Definition of halfheartedly

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dully

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“Dully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dully. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of dully

adverb

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