Word · Frequency #3799
dull
减弱，减轻；使迟钝，使麻木
to make something less strong or intense, or to make someone slow, stupid, or unresponsive
- 1.
To render dull; to remove or blunt an edge or something that was sharp.
使变钝；去除或削弱锋利的边缘或物体。
- 2.
make dull in appearance
使外观变得暗淡
- 3.
To soften, moderate or blunt; to make dull, stupid, or sluggish; to stupefy.
使柔和、缓和或迟钝；使迟钝、愚钝或迟缓；使麻木。
- 4.
become dull or lusterless in appearance; lose shine or brightness
外观变得无光泽；失去光泽或亮度
- 5.
To lose a sharp edge; to become dull.
失去锋利的边缘；变钝。
- 6.
deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping
使声音减弱,特别是通过包裹
- 7.
To render dim or obscure; to sully; to tarnish.
使变暗或模糊；玷污；使失去光泽。
（使）变钝；使不锋利；（使）变暗淡；（使）失去光泽；消音；减弱（声音）；使变钝；去除或削弱锋利的边缘或物体。；使外观变得暗淡
In use
The constant rain dulled the car's shiny paint.
Over time, the polish on the silverware dulls and needs to be reapplied.
She wrapped the bell in cloth to dull its sound during the ceremony.
Age had dulled the surface
the varnished table top dulled with time
Verb forms
base dull · third person dulls · -ing dulling · past dulled · past participle dulled
动词，规则变化，表示使变钝或变暗淡。
Connections
Collocations
- dull the pain
- 减轻疼痛
- The medication will dull the pain for a few hours.药物会减轻几个小时的疼痛。
- dull the edge
- 使刀刃变钝；削弱锋芒
- Using a knife on glass will dull the edge quickly.在玻璃上使用刀子会很快使刀刃变钝。
- dull the senses
- 使感官迟钝
- The loud noise dulls the senses over time.长时间的大噪声会使感官变得迟钝。
- dull the sound
- 使声音减弱或低沉
- Thick curtains dull the sound from the street.厚窗帘使来自街道的声音减弱。
- dull the colors
- 使颜色暗淡
- Sunlight can dull the colors of a rug.阳光会使地毯的颜色变暗淡。
Idioms & figurative uses
Learner notes
Memory Tip
‘dull’听起来像‘倒’，想象刀锋被磨得倒下、变钝，锋利感全无。
Context & Register
语域：neutral 常见场景：daily life、medical care、workshop/kitchen 该词作动词时通常为中性，在口语和书面语中都比较自然。多用于表示使某物变钝、减弱或不再敏锐，例如使刀刃变钝、减轻疼痛或使声音变闷。不同搭配的正式程度略有差别，但整体没有明显的语域限制。
Grammar Note
作及物动词时意为'使变暗淡'或'使声音减弱'；作不及物动词时意为'变暗淡'，常用于描述光泽或颜色的变化。
Pronunciation & Spelling
与 dull /dʌl/ 押韵的词：null、gull、skull（均以 /ʌl/ 结尾）。注意：full、pull、bull 拼写相近，但读音为 /fʊl/、/pʊl/、/bʊl/，与 dull 不押韵。
High-value vocabulary
该词属于 Oxford 核心词汇，值得优先掌握常见搭配和句型。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 2，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from DICTIONARY_API_DEV, ECDICT, WIKTIONARY, WORDNET.