Synonyms for dull
- adjective
Most common
monotonous uninteresting boring humdrum dreary gloomy sluggish stupid
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Monotonous — boring; not exciting or interesting
monotonous, uninteresting, boring, humdrum, tedious, tiresome, lackluster US, lack-lustre UK, lacklustre UK, drab, lifeless, flat, insipid, pointless, wearisome, bland, vapid, prosaic, irksome, tame, commonplace, obscure, mundane, arid
2. Dreary — bored, depressed, down
dreary, gloomy, sad, dismal, somber US, sombre UK, dark, cloudy, depressing, cheerless, dispirited, subdued, low, damp dated
3. Sluggish — sluggish, listless
sluggish, slow, leaden, ponderous, torpid, lethargic, heavy, apathetic, languid, listless, draggy informal, jaded, indifferent, stagnant
4. Stupid — not bright or intelligent; stupid; having slow understanding
stupid, obtuse, soft informal, thick, dense, unintelligent, half-witted, blunt-witted, witless, simple, brainless, dumb dated rare
Definitions
- adj. 1
Boring; not exciting or interesting.
He sat through the dull lecture and barely stayed awake.
- adj. 2
Not bright or intelligent; stupid; having slow understanding.
- adj. 3
Sluggish, listless.
- adj. 4
Bored, depressed, down.
Related words
- Word family
- dullard dullen dull-headed dullish dullness dullsville dull-witted
- Phrases
- dull as dishwater
Choose the right word
In a moral sense, lifeless denotes a want of vital energy; inanimate, a want of expression as to any feeling that may be possessed; dull implies a torpor of soul which checks all mental activity; dead supposes a destitution of feeling.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Example sentences
- boring The show was so boring that Ann and I fell asleep.
- monotonous Everyday life can get a bit monotonous at times.
- uninteresting The majority of the songs became uninteresting.
- humdrum I'm tired of this humdrum existence.
- dreary I've got to go to another dreary meeting tomorrow.
- somber We heard somber hollow sounds from the cave.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| dull | steady | |
| boring | rising | |
| monotonous | steady | |
| uninteresting | steady | |
| humdrum | steady | |
| dreary | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- low1, sad1, mat1, dim1
- 4 letters
- dark1, slow1, flat1, soft1, dumb1, matt1, tame1, damp1, arid2, drab1
- 5 letters
- heavy2, thick1, dense1, blunt1, faint1, muddy2, bland1, matte1, inert2, jaded2, dingy2, vapid2
- 6 letters
- simple2, stupid2, boring2, cloudy2, gloomy2, dismal2, dreary2, somber2, obtuse2, sombre, leaden2, stolid2, torpid2, draggy2
- 7 letters
- obscure2, tedious3, mundane2, subdued2, insipid3, prosaic3, languid2, humdrum2, irksome2, witless2
- 8 letters
- inactive3, stagnant2, lifeless2, sluggish2, tiresome3, listless2
- 9 letters
- pointless2, lethargic3, apathetic4, brainless2, ponderous3, unfeeling3, wearisome3, cheerless
- 10 letters
- depressing3, monotonous4, lackluster3, lacklustre, dispirited4, phlegmatic3
- 11 letters
- commonplace3, indifferent3, passionless
- 13 letters
- uninteresting4, unintelligent
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (arid2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- terne