Definition of "deadening" [dead•en•ing]

• Material used for soundproofing. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Another problem is that often within them lies what I call the deadening paradox."
• "• He finds driving a car "deadening," so he takes a bus to work from his home, reading or working on his laptop during the commute."
• "Was this an expression of the "deadening" of the human spirit that takes place in Florida?"