[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

deadening \dead"ening\ adj. p. pr. of verb deaden3.
   rendering less lively, intense, or vigorous; as, the
   deadening effect of some routine tasks.
   wordnet 1.5

   2. so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness; as,
      the deadening effect of some routine tasks.

   syn: boring, dreary, ho-hum, irksome, tedious, tiresome,
        wearisome.
        wordnet 1.5
see also:
deaden 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

deaden \dead"en\ de^d"'n, v. t. imp.  p. p. deadened
   de^d"'nd; p. pr.  vb. n. deadening. from dead; cf.
   as. d?dan to kill, put to death. see dead, a.
   1. to make as dead; to impair in vigor, force, activity, or
      sensation; to lessen the force or acuteness of; to blunt;
      as, to deaden the natural powers or feelings; to deaden a
      sound.
      1913 webster

            as harper lays his open palm
            upon his harp, to deaden its vibrations.
                                                  --longfellow.
      1913 webster

   2. to lessen the velocity or momentum of; to retard; as, to
      deaden a ship's headway.
      1913 webster

   3. to make vapid or spiritless; as, to deaden wine.
      1913 webster

   4. to deprive of gloss or brilliancy; to obscure; as, to
      deaden gilding by a coat of size.
      1913 webster

   5. to render impervious to sound, as a wall or floor; to
      deafen.
      webster 1913 suppl.
see also:
deadened deadening dead 

[3] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

deadening \dead"ening\ n.
   the act of making something futile and useless as by
   routine.

   syn: stultification, impairment.
        wordnet 1.5

[4] : WordNet (r) 2.0

deadening
     adj : so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness; "a
           boring evening with uninteresting people"; "the
           deadening effect of some routine tasks"; "a dull play";
           "his competent but dull performance"; "a ho-hum speaker
           who couldn't capture their attention"; "what an irksome
           task the writing of long letters is"- edmund burke;
           "tedious days on the train"; "the tiresome chirping of
           a cricket"- mark twain; "other people's dreams are
           dreadfully wearisome" syn: boring, dull, ho-hum,
            irksome, slow, tedious, tiresome, wearisome
     n : the act of making something futile and useless as by
         routine syn: stultification, constipation, impairment
see also:
boring dull ho-hum irksome slow tedious 
tiresome wearisome stultification constipation impairment 

[5] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

98 moby thesaurus words for "deadening":
   abatement, abating, allaying, allayment, alleviating, alleviation,
   alleviative, analgesia, analgesic, anesthesia, anesthetic,
   anesthetizing, anodyne, appeasement, assuagement, assuaging,
   assuasive, attenuation, attrition, balmy, balsamic, benumbing,
   blunting, calming, cathartic, chastening, cleansing, cushioning,
   dampening, damping, debilitation, demulcent, demulsion,
   devitalization, dilution, diminishing, diminishment, diminution,
   dulcification, dulling, ease, easement, easing, effemination,
   emollient, enervation, enfeeblement, evisceration, exhaustion,
   extenuation, falling-off, fatigue, hushing, inanition,
   languishment, leniency, lenitive, lessening, letdown, letup,
   lightening, loosening, lulling, mitigating, mitigation, mitigative,
   modulation, mollification, narcotic, numbing, pacification,
   pain-killing, palliation, palliative, purgative, quietening,
   quieting, reducing, reduction, relaxation, relaxing, relief,
   relieving, remedial, remedy, remission, salving, slackening,
   softening, soothing, stunning, stupefying, subduement, subduing,
   tempering, thinning, tranquilization, weakening

Deadening >> D Words
Deadening, definition of term: Deadening
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