deaden

/'dedn/

Thân thiện

The thick carpet helps to deaden the sound of footsteps.

Definition

1. Transitive Verb:

   • To make something less intense, strong, or sensitive: To reduce the force, severity, vitality, or perception of something.
   • To make a sound quieter or less distinct: To muffle or dampen noise.
   • To deprive of spirit or vitality: To make something bland, lifeless, or less active.

2. Intransitive Verb:

   • To become less intense, strong, or active: To lose force, vigor, or vitality.

Examples of Usage

• Transitive Verb:

  • The thick curtains helped to deaden the noise from the street.
  • The doctor gave her medicine to deaden the pain.
  • Over-editing can deaden the impact of a powerful story.

• Intransitive Verb:

  • The sound of the engine deadened as the car moved farther away.
  • His enthusiasm for the project deadened after months of setbacks.

Advanced Usage

• "deaden the blow": To lessen the impact or negative effect of something.

  • The government announced tax cuts to deaden the blow of rising inflation.

• "deaden to something": To become or make someone less sensitive or responsive to something.

  • Years of criticism had deadened him to negative feedback.

Variants and Related Words

• Deadening (adjective/gerund): Causing a loss of force, sensation, or vitality.

  • The deadening routine of his job made him restless.

• Deadened (adjective): Made less sensitive, intense, or lively.

  • She touched her deadened lip after the dental procedure.

Synonyms

• Dull: To make less intense or sharp.
• Numb: To deprive of sensation or feeling.
• Muffle: To deaden the sound of.
• Dampen: To reduce the intensity or vigor of.
• Blunt: To make less sharp or effective.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(Note: "deaden" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically modified by a prepositional phrase, e.g., "deaden to").

Related Idioms

• To deaden the senses: To make oneself less aware or sensitive, often through external means.
  • He tried to deaden his senses with alcohol to forget the pain.

Học thuật

Verb

1. convert (metallic mercury) into a grey powder consisting of minute globules, as by shaking with chalk or fatty oil
2. make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation
   • Terror blunted her feelings
   • deaden a sound
3. become lifeless, less lively, intense, or active; lose life, force, or vigor
4. lessen the momentum or velocity of
   • deaden a ship's headway
5. make vapid or deprive of spirit
   • deadened wine
6. cut a girdle around so as to kill by interrupting the circulation of water and nutrients
   • girdle the plant
7. make vague or obscure or make (an image) less visible
   • muffle the message

Từ đồng nghĩa

• blunt
• girdle
• dampen
• damp