dully

Meanings

1. 1adverbnot comparable

   In a way that shows no interest, energy, or excitement.

   Grammar: Describes how someone speaks or acts: he nodded dully.

   Patterns

   • stare dully
   • answer dully

   He stared dully at the television, barely noticing the show.

   She answered dully, as if she had heard the question a thousand times.

   The students listened dully to the long lecture.

2. 2adverbnot comparable

   In a way that is not bright, shiny, or sharp, or that is not clear in sound.

   Grammar: Describes light, color, pain, or sound: a dully glowing lamp.

   Patterns

   • gleam dully
   • throb dully

   The old coins gleamed dully in the lamp light.

   His tooth throbbed dully all night.

   The bell sounded dully through the thick fog.

Common combinations

stare dully

The tired traveler stared dully at the board.

glow dully

The embers glowed dully in the fireplace.

ache dully

His shoulder ached dully after the fall.

speak dully

She spoke dully, without any expression.

dully reflected

The gray sky was dully reflected in the pond.

Synonyms and how they differ

listlessly

Listlessly stresses a lack of energy or effort, while dully can also describe poor brightness.

blankly

Blankly suggests an empty, expressionless look, usually of the face or eyes, not general dullness.

drably

Drably focuses on plain, colorless appearance, whereas dully covers both look and feeling.

tediously

Tediously means in a way that bores others, while dully describes the dull manner of the person or thing.

Opposites

Word family

dull adjective

boring, not bright, or not sharp

dullness noun

the state of being dull

dullard noun

a stupid or slow person

dull verb

to make or become less sharp or intense

Commonly confused: dully or dully vs. duly?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “dully”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words