as in deadening
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in reducing
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
the aspirin dulled his headache and he was soon feeling better
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bleaching
to make white or lighter by removing color
the painting's once-vivid colors have been dulled by time
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dulling
Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
Also, don't store beans or ground coffee in the refrigerator—the coffee may absorb moisture and odors, dulling its flavor.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 20 Feb. 2026
There are gobs of money to be made selling enterprise software, but dulling the impact of AI is also a useful feint.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Here, in the eyes of the reluctant young scholar, was a vital antidote to the dulling effects of habit and routine.
—Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Older workers face forced plateaus as organizations hesitate to invest in workers over 50, assuming their time is limited, minds are dulling, and retirement is imminent.
—Dan Pontefract, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Protein shakes are an easy way to bridge the gap between mealtimes without dulling your appetite.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 28 Jan. 2026
Neuropathic pain comes from damaged or irritated nerves, and gabapentin targets the nerve signaling itself rather than just dulling pain.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
And Chinese exporters diverted flows through Southeast Asia and Mexico, dulling the effects of tariffs even as headline restrictions intensified.
—Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2025
Verb
At Source puts seven years of joint practice and mutual magnetism to tape without dulling the dynamic buzz of their live sets.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
Also, don't store beans or ground coffee in the refrigerator—the coffee may absorb moisture and odors, dulling its flavor.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 20 Feb. 2026
There are gobs of money to be made selling enterprise software, but dulling the impact of AI is also a useful feint.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Here, in the eyes of the reluctant young scholar, was a vital antidote to the dulling effects of habit and routine.
—Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Older workers face forced plateaus as organizations hesitate to invest in workers over 50, assuming their time is limited, minds are dulling, and retirement is imminent.
—Dan Pontefract, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Protein shakes are an easy way to bridge the gap between mealtimes without dulling your appetite.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 28 Jan. 2026
Neuropathic pain comes from damaged or irritated nerves, and gabapentin targets the nerve signaling itself rather than just dulling pain.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
And Chinese exporters diverted flows through Southeast Asia and Mexico, dulling the effects of tariffs even as headline restrictions intensified.
—Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dulling
Verb
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MacRumors thinks this could end up reducing the thickness of the iPhone’s display stack while improving brightness and minimizing power use.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
25 Apr. 2026
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The Airhart ethos is focused on reducing the cognitive drain on the pilot.—
David Szondy
April 25,
New Atlas,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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She was also reportedly seen bleaching the inside of her car.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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Once in a while, black flats compress the space, framing a single character’s face, bathed in a bleaching white light, as if their vulnerabilities were being scanned by an MRI.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Now after four years of ongoing horrors in Ukraine, and more than two years of watching slaughter and suffering in Gaza, the latest war filling our feeds is just another numbing form of content, a digital arena in which competing forces try to assert conflicting viewpoints.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2026
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And that can be exhausting, numbing, and overwhelming.—
James Speyer,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Iran continued to export nearly 2 million barrels of oil each day through the strait, blunting some of the supply loss, according to energy data firm Kpler.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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The launches underscored continuing tensions between the Koreas, blunting South Korean hopes for warmer relations.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, commercial-only business districts are fading.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2026
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Dust and pollen are quicker to reveal themselves, and wear becomes apparent faster as dark colors are more prone to fading.—
Marisa Suzanne Martin,
The Spruce,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The album’s ideal love is anesthetic, a script for surviving daily chaos and tragedy that doesn’t require reciprocation.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Pitchfork,
7 Apr. 2026
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Penn Medicine, for example, worked to phase out desflurane, an anesthetic gas that remains in the atmosphere for 14 years.—
Bill Frist,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Another suggestion was requiring special sound-deadening balls, currently available, that lower the decibel levels considerably.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
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Both nationally and in Minnesota , there has been a shift away from intelligent discussion of public policy to endless partisan warfare with a deadening impact on the public.—
Arne Carlson,
Twin Cities,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This effort will focus on the galactic bulge, where star density is much higher, and will take advantage of the fact that a planet can act as a small gravitational lens, briefly brightening any background stars that pass between it and Earth.—
JOHN TIMMER,
ArsTechnica,
23 Apr. 2026
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Her mother, Lianna Charles Moore, previously described her daughters as always laughing, smiling and brightening her family's day.—
Christina Fan,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dulling. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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