1
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
a leaden performance of a classic American play that nearly put us to sleep
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grey
of the color gray
the leaden sky made everything seem dark and depressing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of leaden
But Betancourt’s approach feels leaden with reference and citation, too often leaning on a catalog of cultural properties to advance an argument that is, at its heart, empirical.
—
Jake Nevins, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Humor — both black and camp — is the key here, unlike the often-leaden film which relied on special effects rather than a sharp script and knowing comic direction for its wow factor.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
For a movie whose chief anthem is an advertisement for the joys of defying gravity, Wicked is surprisingly leaden, with a promise of more of the same to come.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 20 Nov. 2024
The men gasped, took deep useless breaths of the leaden wet air, and shambled forward grunting and sobbing, their arms slowly and inevitably bending toward the ground.
—David Denby, The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for leaden
Jake Nevins, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Humor — both black and camp — is the key here, unlike the often-leaden film which relied on special effects rather than a sharp script and knowing comic direction for its wow factor.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
For a movie whose chief anthem is an advertisement for the joys of defying gravity, Wicked is surprisingly leaden, with a promise of more of the same to come.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 20 Nov. 2024
The men gasped, took deep useless breaths of the leaden wet air, and shambled forward grunting and sobbing, their arms slowly and inevitably bending toward the ground.
—David Denby, The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for leaden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leaden
Adjective
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Belief that your institution is exempt from the hard, functional and often boring parts of the job leads to a slow decline.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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One ideal that rung loudly at the presentation was that these students were unafraid to dream–rather than send designs down the runway that felt truncated, trendy or downright boring, the student designers chose an opposite route.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Though adidas has recently dropped the Tokyo in metallic and neon colorways, this leather-and-suede version featuring a muted grey body is, in our eyes, a more adaptable choice.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
21 May 2025
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The officer saw a grey Cybertruck on fire, with an unbroken Molotov cocktail in an apple cider vinegar bottle lying nearby.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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France One of my upcoming podcast guests, Mary Alice Duff, decided to swap the hustle of life in Philadelphia for the slower pace of southern France.—
Cepee Tabibian,
CNBC,
18 May 2025
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Combs Grows Frustrated Combs was animated during Ventura’s cross-examination, appearing somewhat frustrated with the tedious, slow pace that his attorney was taking when quizzing Ventura.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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Home to some of our favorite bedding and bath towels, Brooklinen offers this sheet set, which comes in playful patterns and interesting colors like basil green and a subtle gray and white stripe.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
14 May 2025
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The Kansas City Chiefs tight end wore a blue and white graphic T-shirt under a sleek gray blazer paired with matching gray trousers, with his hair slicked back.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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The Upgrade Lounge will be open in the mornings from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm ET, and again in the evenings from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm ET—but weary travelers who miss these windows can still relax in the lounge’s cushy couches and swivel chairs outside of operating hours.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
21 May 2025
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Now, the Entity intends to annihilate humanity in four days unless it can be taken offline by a key that accesses a gizmo in the Arctic Sea that connects to a whatsit that Ving Rhames’s weary Luther is attempting to invent from a makeshift hospital bed somewhere in the subway tunnels of London.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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The upper pot leans dramatic, thanks to the contrast of the scarlet–trim silver leaves of 'Jurassic Dino Dragon Fruit’ rex begonia, which play off the variegated English ivy and shrubby everlasting.—
Mike Irvine,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 May 2025
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The actress paired her Dior little black dress with a pair of strappy sandal heels and accessorized with shimmering jewelry pieces, including a silver statement necklace.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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The bristles of the brush manually sweep away dull, rough, flaky skin cells.—
Angela Palmer,
Verywell Health,
20 May 2025
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There’s an effort from the developer, Far Out Games, to tell a captivating noirish story here but the cutscenes and dialogue are painfully dull.—
Joshua Lamb,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Of course, all that excitement does get tiring after a while, and the dogs in side B eventually wind down for a brief nap.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
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At-home blowouts are hard; even when armed with the right tutorials and top-of-the-line tools, all the maneuvering gets tiring quickly.—
Kylee McGuigan,
Vogue,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Leaden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leaden. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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