dulness

English

Noun

dulness (usually uncountable, plural dulnesses)

Archaic spelling of dullness.
- 1807, [Germaine] de Staël Holstein, translated by D[ennis] Lawler, “[Book. IX. [The popular Festival, and Music.]] Chap[ter] III.”, in Corinna; or, Italy. […], volume III, London: […] Corri, […]; and sold by Colburn, […], and Mackenzie, […], →OCLC, pages 18–19:
  He then sat down to contemplate, at his ease, that vivacity without motive, and without aim, which is found in most numerous assemblies; mediocrity in Italy is by no means a disagreeable character; it has little vanity, little jealousy, and much respect for superiority of mind; and if it fatigues with its dulness, it hardly ever offends by assuming.
- 1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter VII, in Emma: […], volume III, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC, page 113:
  At first it was downright dulness to Emma. She had never seen Frank Churchill so silent and stupid. He said nothing worth hearing — looked without seeing — admired without intelligence — listened without knowing what she said.
- 1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “chapter XIII, Democracy”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book III (The Modern Worker):
  A smack of all Human Life lies in the Tailor: its wild struggles towards beauty, dignity, freedom, victory; and how, hemmed in by Sedan and Huddersfield, by Nescience, Dulness, Prurience, and other sad necessities and laws of Nature, it has attained just to this: Grey Savagery of Three Sacks with a hem!
- 1887, Medical Press and Circular, volume 94, page 461:
  When all signs of effusion, dulness, pain, œgophony, and cough had disappeared he was dieted, stimulated, and tonicked.

Anagrams

dunsels