dull pain
Low, steady discomfort
A dull pain is a steady, muted ache rather than a sharp or stabbing sensation.
It tends to be persistent and diffuse, harder to pinpoint than acute pain: a dull pain in my lower back, The dull pain in her chest worried her.
Doctors often ask patients to distinguish between sharp and dull pain when diagnosing conditions.
- achePersistent dull discomfort
- throbBeat with intensity
- sorenessTender, painful sensation
- low gradeBelow average quality
- discomfortMild physical or mental distress
tenderness · twinge · nagging · persistent · cramping · stiffness · heaviness · pressure · body aches · sore muscles · bruise · fatigue · malaise · wear and tear · aspirin · ibuprofen · heating pad · massage
- painache, agony, hurt, hurting, suffering
- body sensestouch, proprioception, kinesthesia, tactile sensation, skin sensation
- sensessight, smell, taste, hearing, touch
- bodily sensationsache, tingling, burning, numbness, throbbing
- sensationstaste, touch, smell, sound, sight
- chest painheart attack, angina, heartburn, myocardial infarction, pericarditis
pain quality/character
dull painsharp pain
Acute bodily distress
stabbing pain · acute pain · piercing pain · shooting pain · burning pain
dull, pain, dulled, dulling, dulls, dullness, dully, duller, dullest