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Definitions

dull as dishwater

ADJECTIVE
banal
Synonyms
STRONGEST
bland corny dumb hackneyed mundane stupid trite vapid
WEAK
blah bromidic clichéd common conventional cornball cornfed everyday flat ho-hum hokey humdrum insipid noplace nothing nowhere old hat ordinary pabulum pedestrian platitudinous square stale stereotyped stock tired tripe unimaginative unoriginal watery wishy-washy zero
Antonyms
STRONGEST
intelligent new original sharp smart uncommon
WEAK
fresh
ADJECTIVE
bland
Synonyms
STRONGEST
banal boring dull insipid tame tedious watery white-bread wishy-washy
WEAK
blah flat flavorless ho-hum humdrum milk-and-water monotonous nothing pabulum sapless unexciting uninspiring uninteresting unstimulating vanilla vapid waterish weak wimpy zero
Antonyms
STRONGEST
bright exciting interesting lively
WEAK
bitter delicious distinctive sharp tasty yummy zingy
ADJECTIVE
drab
Synonyms
STRONGEST
bleak desolate dingy dismal dreary gray lackluster muddy run down shabby somber
STRONG
blah boring brown dry flat same zero
WEAK
arid characterless cheerless faded gloomy grungy lusterless murky subfuse unchanging uninspired vapid
Antonyms
STRONGEST
bright cheerful clean clear good happy light nice pleasant
STRONG
exciting interesting
WEAK
colorful inspired
ADJECTIVE
dry
Synonyms
STRONGEST
dreary dusty simple
STRONG
blah boring plain
WEAK
apathetic bromidic draggy ho-hum impassive inelaborate insipid matter-of-fact modest monotonous naked phlegmatic tedious tiresome trite weariful wearisome
Antonyms
STRONG
exciting
WEAK
interesting juicy lively
ADJECTIVE
monotonous
Synonyms
STRONGEST
boring dreary dull ho-hum humdrum plodding repetitious repetitive tedious tiresome
WEAK
banausic blah colorless droning flat flat as pancake monotone nothing pedestrian prosaic puts one to sleep recurrent reiterated samely sing-song soporific toneless treadmill unchanged unchanging uniform uninflected uninteresting unrelieved unvaried unvarying wearisome wearying
Antonyms
STRONGEST
bright clear eventful exciting interesting light lively
WEAK
changing ever-changing variable versatile
ADJECTIVE
tedious
Synonyms
STRONGEST
annoying banal boring dreary endless exhausting humdrum laborious tiresome tiring uninteresting
WEAK
arid bromidic drab dragging draggy drudging dry dusty enervating fatiguing ho-hum insipid irksome lifeless long-drawn-out mortal pabulum poky prosaic prosy slow snooze soporific unexciting vapid weariful wearisome
Antonyms
STRONGEST
easy eventful exciting facile interesting pleasant
WEAK
entertaining
ADJECTIVE
unimaginative
Synonyms
STRONGEST
banal hackneyed tedious trite uninspired
WEAK
barren bromidic common commonplace derivative dime a dozen dry flat ho-hum lifeless matter-of-fact ordinary pabulum pedestrian prosaic routine square tame uncreative unoriginal unromantic usual vanilla well-worn zero
Antonyms
STRONGEST
fresh new original uncommon
WEAK
creative imaginative

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He was dull as dishwater compared to many of the others vying for the nomination, and nobody had ever really considered him presidential timber.

From Salon • Dec. 30, 2022

Perhaps dull as dishwater, Mendelson is nonetheless as steady as they come in a council chamber where there’s hardly a dull moment.

From Washington Post • Oct. 15, 2021

I think something very important to remember is that we do not see good mother-in-law relationships in pop culture because good mothers-in-law are dull as dishwater from a comedic perspective.

From Slate • Jun. 19, 2020

I find him dull as dishwater; his brother had a bit of sparkle.

From US News • Nov. 16, 2015

This one may be interesting but badly written, or it may be beautifully expressed and as dull as dishwater.

From Harper's Round Table, August 6, 1895 by Various