To deaden means to reduce the strength, intensity, or feeling of something. When you deaden a sound, you make it quieter or duller. Heavy curtains can deaden the noise from a busy street outside your window. Carpet deadens the sound of footsteps better than a hard floor does.

The word often describes reducing physical sensations. A dentist uses medicine to deaden the pain in your tooth before drilling. Cold water can deaden the feeling in your fingers, making them numb and harder to move. Athletes might use ice to deaden the pain of a bruised muscle.

Deaden can also describe reducing emotional intensity or liveliness. Boredom might deaden your enthusiasm for a subject you once found exciting. Some people say that doing the same repetitive task every day can deaden their creativity or curiosity.

The word suggests taking something that was once strong, sharp, or alive and making it duller or less active. Think of the difference between a deadened thud when you drop a book on carpet versus the sharp crack it makes on a tile floor.