enough dull

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "enough dull" is not correct in standard written English.
It seems to be an attempt to convey a sense of something being sufficiently uninteresting, but it lacks proper grammatical structure. Example: "The lecture was enough dull to make me fall asleep."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Virgin Media, which emerged when NTL and Telewest, the biggest cable firms, combined and then did a deal with Virgin Mobile, now accounts for almost all the cable market.But there was more than enough dull management to go round too.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Then priorities prevented the purchase of enough dull-finish paper for the final prints of the parts.

The New Yorker

But enough of dull football.

The Guardian - Sport

Scientists speculate that a plane's roaring engines distract or stress passengers enough to dull their palates.

The New York Times

She was good enough to dull the question of why she was there and perhaps her ultimate legacy.

The New York Times - Sports

Like the wife says, she can't drink enough to dull the pain of selling all the sheep".

The New York Times

Her impoverished customers prefer it by the glassful 12 cents buys enough to dull the senses to the grimness of the place.

The Economist

The wood in about 3 percent of the trees carries streaks or lumps of calcium carbonate called iroko stones, which are hard enough to dull woodworking tools.

Encyclopedia Britannica

But the offense was not strong enough to dull the impact of the injuries, scoring two runs or fewer in 46 games, compared with 33 last season.

The New York Times - Sports

What makes Ms. Ingrao's chocolate extraordinary is that it has only a trace of sweetness, just enough to dull the bitter edge of cocoa and to enhance the intense chocolate flavor.

The New York Times

After all, Ray performs every task that we expect of a mean bastard: he dumps a loyal wife (Laura Dern), who has done nothing but sustain him through his career; he filches Joan from another guy; he fortifies himself with slugs of Canadian Club, though never enough to dull his wits; and he tramples all over the nice old-fashioned boys from San Bernardino.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Opt for more conventional phrases like "quite dull" or "sufficiently boring" to maintain clarity and grammatical correctness.

Common error

Avoid placing "enough" before adjectives when intending to express a moderate degree of the quality. Instead, use "quite", "rather", or adverbs like "sufficiently".

Linguistic Context

Adjective phrase modifying a noun or pronoun, but grammatically incorrect. It attempts to describe a level of insufficient interest. Ludwig AI confirms the phrase is non-standard.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Wiki

33%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Science

33%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "enough dull" is grammatically incorrect and rarely used in standard written English. Ludwig AI confirms this assessment, suggesting it's not a conventional way to express a lack of interest. While the intention might be clear, it's best to use more standard alternatives like "quite dull" or "sufficiently boring" to maintain clarity and grammatical correctness. Though the phrase appears in some online sources, its infrequent use and grammatical issues suggest avoiding it in formal writing. For clarity, consider rephrasing your statement using recognized constructs to convey a similar meaning effectively.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

quite uninteresting

Replaces "enough dull" with a more standard adjective and intensifier.

rather boring

Substitutes "dull" with its synonym "boring" and "enough" with "rather".

sufficiently tedious

Uses "tedious" to replace "dull", indicating a similar level of monotony.

adequately unexciting

Employs "unexciting" as a replacement for "dull" and "adequately" for "enough".

sufficiently bland

Replaces "dull" with "bland", suggesting a lack of distinctive characteristics.

not very interesting

Offers a straightforward way of expressing lack of interest.

not particularly stimulating

Uses "stimulating" to reflect the opposite of "dull".

somewhat monotonous

Substitutes "dull" with "monotonous", suggesting the boring quality is due to repetition or lack of variation.

plain boring

Uses "plain" to emphasize the degree of boring quality.

relatively uninspired

Uses "uninspired" as a substitute to express the lack of creativity or excitement.

FAQs

How can I use "enough" with adjectives correctly?

Use "enough" after adjectives (e.g., "tall enough") or with nouns (e.g., "enough money"). Avoid placing it before an adjective as in "enough dull". Instead, rephrase to something like "quite dull" or "sufficiently boring".

What's a better way to express something is 'enough dull'?

Instead of "enough dull", consider using alternatives such as "rather uninteresting", "pretty boring", or "quite tedious".

Is 'enough dull' grammatically correct?

No, "enough dull" is not grammatically correct in standard English. "Enough" typically follows the adjective it modifies or precedes a noun. For similar meaning, restructure the sentence with grammatically sound alternatives.

Which is correct, 'enough dull' or 'dull enough'?

"Dull enough" is grammatically correct, while "enough dull" is not. For example, "The movie wasn't "dull enough" to make me fall asleep" is correct.