Meaning
Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp.
Etymology
Origin: Old English
From Middle English dull, dul (also dyll, dill, dwal), from Old English dol (“dull, foolish, erring, heretical; foolish, silly; presumptuous”), from Proto-West Germanic *dol, from Proto-Germanic *dulaz, from earlier *dwulaz, a variant of *dwalaz (“stunned, mad, foolish, misled”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwel-, *dʰewel- (“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).
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 22 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-09-10UADEHLN
- 2026-05-19UDELOPT
- 2026-03-31LCDIOUY
- 2026-03-23UCNLHED
- 2026-03-06UDEFILP
- 2026-02-20UALDBGY
- 2026-02-13LDENOUV
- 2025-12-22UCNLKED
- 2025-10-29LCDEINU
- 2025-10-27DAILNUV
- 2025-08-04UDLGEIT
- 2025-04-23UCLEDIT
+10 earlier appearances in the archive.