different between dull vs nonchalant

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)

1. Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp.

2. Boring; not exciting or interesting.

3. 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.

4. Not bright or intelligent; stupid; having slow understanding.
5. 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.
6. Cloudy, overcast.

7. Insensible; unfeeling.

   • Think me not / So dull a devil to forget the loss / Of such a matchless wife.

8. 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.

9. (of pain etc) Not intense; felt indistinctly or only slightly.

   Pressing on the bruise produces a dull pain.

10. (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)

1. (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.

2. (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.

3. (intransitive) To lose a sharp edge; to become dull.

   A razor will dull with use.

4. 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)

1. 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

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French nonchalant, from Old French nonchaloir (“to be unconcerned”), from non- (“not”) + chaloir (“to have concern for”), from Latin non (“not”) + cal?re (“to be warm”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?n?n.??l.?nt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?n?n.???l?nt/

Adjective

nonchalant (comparative more nonchalant, superlative most nonchalant)

1. Casually calm and relaxed.

   We handled the whole frenetic situation with a nonchalant attitude.

2. Indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached.

   He is far too nonchalant about such a serious matter.

Synonyms

• (casually calm): carefree, cool, mellow, easygoing
• (indifferent): blasé, unconcerned
• See also Thesaurus:calm

Derived terms

• nonchalantly
• nonchalantness

Related terms

• nonchalance

Translations

Danish

Etymology

From French nonchalant.

Adjective

nonchalant

1. nonchalant, offhand

Inflection

Adverb

nonchalant

1. nonchalantly, offhandedly

Further reading

• “nonchalant” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French nonchalant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?n.?a??l?nt/
• Hyphenation: non?cha?lant
• Rhymes: -?nt

Adjective

nonchalant (comparative nonchalanter, superlative nonchalantst)

1. careless, showing no interest or effort

Inflection

Related terms

• nonchalance

French

Etymology

Present participle of Old French nonchaloir (“to have no importance”), from non + chaloir, equivalent to Latin non (“not”) + cal?re (“to be warm”).

Adjective

nonchalant (feminine singular nonchalante, masculine plural nonchalants, feminine plural nonchalantes)

1. Marked by a lack of vivacity, vigour, liveliness; slow-moving; indolent.
2. Cool, relaxed

Usage notes

• Although French nonchalant is usually appropriate where the English one is used, its meaning is different.

Related terms

• nonchaloir
• chaloir

Descendants

• ? Danish: nonchalant
• ? Dutch: nonchalant
• ? English: nonchalant
• ? German: nonchalant

Further reading

• “nonchalant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French nonchalant, from Old French nonchaloir, from Latin non (“not”) + cal?re (“to be warm”).

Pronunciation

Adjective

nonchalant (comparative nonchalanter, superlative am nonchalantesten)

1. nonchalant

Declension

Further reading

• “nonchalant” in Duden online

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• nonsjalant

Etymology

From French nonchalant.

Adjective

nonchalant (indefinite singular nonchalant, definite singular and plural nonchalante)

1. nonchalant

References

• “nonchalant” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• nonsjalant

Etymology

From French nonchalant.

Noun

nonchalant (indefinite singular nonchalant, definite singular and plural nonchalante)

1. nonchalant

References

• “nonchalant” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.