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dumpf

musty, stuffy; dull (of sound or pain)

adjective DOOMPF Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Conditions

Also means

muffled; throbbing

Usage Note

Dumpf covers several related clusters: a stuffy, stale-air quality (dumpfe Luft); a low, muffled sound (ein dumpfer Schlag); and a dull, throbbing pain (ein dumpfer Schmerz). The unifying sense is a lack of clarity or freshness — something muted and heavy.

Examples

"In dem lange verschlossenen Zimmer roch es dumpf und abgestanden."

Natural Translation

In the long-closed room it smelled musty and stale.

Literal Translation

In the long-closed room it smelled musty and stale.

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