Dull
/dʌl/noun
Lacking sharpness, brightness, intensity, or interest.
Did you know?The word’s older history is tied to bluntness and dimness, not laziness—showing how English often turns physical states into mental ones.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*dullaz
“blunt, dull, stupid”
Old English
OE
dull
“blunt, obtuse, not sharp”
Middle English
ME
dull
“dull, sluggish, dim, lacking keenness”
Modern English
English
dull
“lacking sharpness, brightness, or interest”