Meaning & use
dull brown
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Having a brown color that is not bright, strong, or shiny; muted and somewhat grayish brown.
Grammar: Used before a noun to describe color, e.g. dull brown eyes; the phrase itself is not usually graded.
Patterns
- dull brown + noun
The walls were painted a dull brown that made the room feel dark.
She wore a dull brown coat that blended into the autumn leaves.
noununcountable
A shade of brown that is not bright or vivid; a muted, grayish brown color.
Grammar: Used as a color name, often after 'in' or 'of', e.g. painted in dull brown.
Patterns
- in dull brown
- a shade of dull brown
The artist mixed a dull brown for the shadows.
The fabric came in dull brown and dark green.
Common combinations
- dull brown hair
- Her dull brown hair looked lifeless without any shine.
- dull brown eyes
- He had dull brown eyes that seemed tired.
- dull brown color
- The old sofa was a dull brown color.
- dull brown paint
- We used dull brown paint for the fence.
Synonyms and how they differ
- muddy brown
- Suggests a dirtier, less clear brown; often used for water or colors that look mixed with gray.
- drab
- Means dull and without brightness, but can describe any color or style, not just brown.
Opposites
Practice
Which sentence uses 'dull brown' correctly?
Choose one answer.
In 'The sky was a dull brown at sunset,' the phrase works as a color description after 'was.' Option 2 is wrong because 'dull brown' cannot be used as an adverb before a verb; option 3 has incorrect word order; option 4 is grammatical but unusual because we normally say 'dull brown is my favorite color' without 'the' unless referring to a specific shade.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dull brown”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.