Any difference between dull an blunt as verbs in these contexts? Okay, what I already know is that blunt is transitive verb (E.g. The setback blunted his desire to become an actor.) whereas dull can be both transitive and intransitive (E.g. The setback dulled his desire to become an actor. & His desire to become an actor dulled upon experiencing a setback.) But are there any other subtleties I should be aware of in order to know which word is the best choice? Many people find it disconcerting to witness how rapidly their skills can be dulled/blunted by infrequent use. They never blunt/dull their criticism. The negative feedback dulled/blunted her interest in continuing her university education.