🔇 Noise blocker 😑 Mood killer

deadener

7.7

A person or thing that makes a situation less exciting

noun
/ˈdɛdənər/

: apático

He joked that the endless paperwork was a deadener for any exciting plans they had.

Examples

Habit is a great deadener of consciousness.

Academic text (1998)
It's this play where one of the characters, Vladimir, says, "Habit is a great deadener."

Fiction book (1991)
Watching television too much can be a real deadener for creativity and motivation.
Some people find that constant routine acts as a deadener for their enthusiasm in life.

Synonyms

downer

vsdeadener

Informal

27 5.6

Something that makes you feel sad or disappointed

reduces excitement or interest without necessarily creating sadness

damper

vsdeadener

15 6.3

Something that makes people less excited about an event or plan

focuses on lowering feelings and interest rather than structural limits

turnoff

vsdeadener

Informal

7 5.1

Something that makes you lose interest and want to avoid a person or thing

is used more for reducing attention rather than all emotional intensity

wet blanket

vsdeadener

Offensive

7 5.6

A person who makes other people lose interest or excitement

refers more broadly to reducing inner emotional intensity or interest

turn-off

vsdeadener

Informal

5 5.0

Something that makes a person lose interest or feel dislike

tends to lower emotional intensity rather than cause strong dislike

dampener

vsdeadener

1 4.6

Something that makes people feel less excited

reduces internal emotional intensity or interest rather than just external situations

thrill killer

vsdeadener

Informal

1 8.9

Someone or something that spoils excitement

tends to reduce emotional intensity more generally not only enjoyment

boner-killer

vsdeadener

NSFW

1 9.9

A thing that suddenly ruins excitement or pleasure

can mean a milder reduction in emotional interest rather than abrupt ruin

party killer

vsdeadener

Informal

1 7.2

A person or thing that ruins the fun at a party

applies to reducing emotional intensity across contexts, not only parties

drainer

vsdeadener

1 6.8

A person or thing that slowly uses up someone's energy

reduces emotional intensity or excitement more immediately than slow depletion

Antonyms

exciter

6.8

Someone or something that causes excitement in people and action in systems

How Dull

deadener

7.7

killjoy

Offensive

8 6.9

dampener

1 4.6

Surface Forms

deadener singular

deadeners plural

Morphology

deadener = deaden (transparent) = dead + en + er

A standard agentive/causative formation from 'deaden' with '-er'; the figurative sense (a person who reduces excitement) follows the same productive pattern.

Etymology

Deadener comes from the verb deaden, made of dead and -en, meaning 'to make less strong' or 'to stop feeling', so a deadener is a person or thing that lowers excitement, interest, or emotional intensity.