different between dull vs hollow
dull
English
Alternative forms
- dul, dulle (all obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English dull, dul (also dyll, dill, dwal), from Old English dol (“dull, foolish, erring, heretical; foolish, silly; presumptuous”), from Proto-Germanic *dulaz, a variant of *dwalaz (“stunned, mad, foolish, misled”), from Proto-Indo-European *d?wel-, *d?ewel- (“to dim, dull, cloud, make obscure, swirl, whirl”). Cognate with Scots dull, doll (“slow to understand or hear, deaf, dull”), North Frisian dol (“rash, unthinking, giddy, flippant”), Dutch dol (“crazy, mad, insane”), Low German dul, dol (“mad, silly, stupid, fatuous”), German toll (“crazy, mad, wild, fantastic”), Danish dval (“foolish, absurd”), Icelandic dulur (“secretive, silent”), West-Flemish dul (angry, furious).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /d?l/
- (Canada) IPA(key): /d?l/, /d?l/, /d??/
- (US)
- Rhymes: -?l
Adjective
dull (comparative duller, superlative dullest)
- Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp.
- Boring; not exciting or interesting.
- Not shiny; having a matte finish or no particular luster or brightness.
- a dull fire or lamp;? a dull red or yellow;? a dull mirror
- A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; as, again, the arm-chair in which Bunting now sat forward, staring into the dull, small fire.
- Not bright or intelligent; stupid; having slow understanding.
- Sluggish, listless.
- This people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, Faerie Queene
- O, help my weak wit and sharpen my dull tongue.
- Cloudy, overcast.
- Insensible; unfeeling.
- Think me not / So dull a devil to forget the loss / Of such a matchless wife.
- Heavy; lifeless; inert.
- c. 1857', Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Table-Talk
- As turning the logs will make a dull fire burn, so changes of study a dull brain.
- c. 1857', Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Table-Talk
- (of pain etc) Not intense; felt indistinctly or only slightly.
- Pressing on the bruise produces a dull pain.
- (of a noise or sound) Not clear, muffled.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:boring
- See also Thesaurus:stupid
- (not shiny): lackluster, matte
Antonyms
- bright
- intelligent
- sharp
Derived terms
Translations
Verb
dull (third-person singular simple present dulls, present participle dulling, simple past and past participle dulled)
- (transitive) To render dull; to remove or blunt an edge or something that was sharp.
- Years of misuse have dulled the tools.
- 1623, Francis Bacon, A Discourse of a War with Spain
- This […] dulled their swords.
- (transitive) To soften, moderate or blunt; to make dull, stupid, or sluggish; to stupefy.
- He drinks to dull the pain.
- 1850, Richard Chenevix Trench, Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord
- Use and custom have so dulled our eyes.
- (intransitive) To lose a sharp edge; to become dull.
- A razor will dull with use.
- To render dim or obscure; to sully; to tarnish.
Synonyms
- dullen
Translations
References
- dull in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- dull in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Anagrams
- ULDL
Welsh
Etymology
Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dey?- (“to show, point out”).
Pronunciation
- (North Wales) IPA(key): /d???/
- (South Wales) IPA(key): /d??/
Noun
dull m (plural dulliau)
- method
Mutation
Further reading
- R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present) , “dull”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
References
dull From the web:
- what dull means
- what dulls a knife the fastest
- what dull pain means
- what dulls a chainsaw chain
- what dulls scissors
- what dulls iron
- what dull hair means
- what dulls your taste buds
hollow
English
Alternative forms
- hallow
- holler (nonstandard: dialectal, especially Southern US)
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /?h?l.??/
- (US) IPA(key): /?h?.lo?/
- (Southern American English, Appalachia) IPA(key): /h?l?/
- Rhymes: -?l??
Etymology 1
From Middle English holow, holowe, holwe, holw?, holgh, from Old English holh (“a hollow”), from Proto-Germanic *halhwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *?el?wos. Cognate with Old High German huliwa and hulwa, Middle High German hülwe. Perhaps related to hole.
Noun
hollow (plural hollows)
- A small valley between mountains.
- c. 1710–20, Matthew Prior, The First Hymn Of Callimachus: To Jupiter
- Forests grew upon the barren hollows.
- c. 1710–20, Matthew Prior, The First Hymn Of Callimachus: To Jupiter
- A sunken area or unfilled space in something solid; a cavity, natural or artificial.
- (figuratively) A feeling of emptiness.
- (US) A sunken area.
Translations
Verb
hollow (third-person singular simple present hollows, present participle hollowing, simple past and past participle hollowed)
- (transitive) to make a hole in something; to excavate
Etymology 2
From Middle English holowe, holwe, holu?, holgh, from the noun (see above).
Adjective
hollow (comparative hollower, superlative hollowest)
- (of something solid) Having an empty space or cavity inside.
- a hollow tree; a hollow sphere
- (of a sound) Distant, eerie; echoing, reverberating, as if in a hollow space; dull, muffled; often low-pitched.
- 1903, George Gordon Byron, On Leaving Newstead Abbey
- Through thy battlements, Newstead, the hollow winds whistle:
- 1903, George Gordon Byron, On Leaving Newstead Abbey
- (figuratively) Without substance; having no real or significant worth; meaningless.
- a hollow victory
- (figuratively) Insincere, devoid of validity; specious.
- a hollow promise
- Concave; gaunt; sunken.
- c. 1596-1599, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
- To view with hollow eye and wrinkled brow
- c. 1596-1599, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
- (gymnastics) Pertaining to hollow body position
Derived terms
- hollow leg
Translations
Adverb
hollow (not comparable)
- (colloquial) Completely, as part of the phrase beat hollow or beat all hollow.
Etymology 3
Compare holler.
Verb
hollow (third-person singular simple present hollows, present participle hollowing, simple past and past participle hollowed)
- To call or urge by shouting; to hollo.
- 1814. Sir Walter Scott, Waverley
- He has hollowed the hounds.
- 1814. Sir Walter Scott, Waverley
Interjection
hollow
- Alternative form of hollo
References
- hollow in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
hollow From the web:
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- what hollows out limestone caves
- what hollow is in ichigo
- what hollow does mcdavid use
- what hollow points do
- what hollow does crosby use
- what hollow knight character are you
- what hollow character are you
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