1
as in dimly
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2
as in sluggishly
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Recent Examples of dully
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
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
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Winter or summer, logs as big as Popeye’s biceps smolder in the grand fireplace of the dimly lit, deep-blue map room to ensure the theatrical cosiness stays cranked up to 11.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
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Those comments, viewed dimly by some German politicians, prompted the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), which bankrolls and oversees the Berlinale, to call an impromptu meeting to discuss the future of the Berlinale and Tricia Tuttle’s leadership as festival director.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
10 May 2026
Adverb
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The Knicks came out of halftime sluggishly, falling behind by 13 points in the third quarter.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
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Voters, meanwhile, continued to respond somewhat sluggishly to the race, with early ballot returns slow particularly among Democrats, The Sacramento Bee reported Monday.—
Andrew Graham
June 1,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2026
Adverb
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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
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There’s a novella of a wine list, with by-the-glass options obscurely scrawled on a mirror above the bar.—
Charlie Hobbs,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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The ball rolled lazily into shallow right field, and Kell’s Kayden Reed scored from third base.—
Jack Leo,
AJC.com,
24 May 2026
-
There’s a ceiling fan turning lazily.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
11 May 2026
Adverb
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The race there begins somberly in the museum before runners bound up one flight of stairs into a hallway that leads into the main stairwell; from there, the steps settle into continuous, shallow right turns providing a repetitive, hypnotic cadence.—
Michelle Sinclair Colman,
Curbed,
7 May 2026
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The music came back on, and the men danced somberly to wedding music.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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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
Adverb
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No matter how strong the brand’s fanbase is, no company can sit idly by while its industry changes.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
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So many sit idly by, expecting to be looked after by one ritual or another.—
Clem Chambers,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Adverb
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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
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The rise of disco in the mid-1970s prompted too many soul-music greats to halfheartedly jump on the bandwagon.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dully. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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