Dulling

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈdʌlɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The act of diminishing the keenness or brightness of an item or sentiment
2. The process of reducing the sharpness, intensity, or brightness of an object or feeling
3. Causing a decrease in clarity, vividness, or effectiveness in an item or perception

Etymology: Before "dull" described a blunt blade or a grey sky, its Old English form, "dol," meant foolish, silly, or even heretical. The Germanic word it came from meant stunned, mad, or misled. Cousins in other languages keep that sense: Dutch "dol" and German "toll" both mean crazy. The older root reaches back to a Proto-Indo-European base meaning "to dim, dull, cloud, make obscure." So the idea of lost brightness is the more ancient physical sense, while the mental sense grew up in the Germanic branch. "Dulling," the process of taking the edge or shine off something, returns to that original image of dimming.

Synonyms: blunting, weaking, deadening, softening, attenuating

Antonyms: sharpening, intensifying, heightening, stimulating