leaden
Americanadjective
-
inertly heavy like lead; hard to lift or move.
a leaden weight; leaden feet.
-
dull, spiritless, or gloomy, as in mood or thought.
leaden prose; a leaden atmosphere.
-
of a dull gray color.
leaden skies.
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oppressive; heavy.
a leaden silence.
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sluggish; listless.
They moved at a leaden pace.
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of poor quality or little value.
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made or consisting of lead.
verb (used with object)
adjective
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heavy and inert
-
laboured or sluggish
leaden steps
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gloomy, spiritless, or lifeless
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made partly or wholly of lead
-
of a dull greyish colour
a leaden sky
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of leaden
before 1000; Middle English leden, Old English lēaden. See lead 2, -en 2
Explanation
Something leaden moves in a heavy, slow way. After a sleepless night, your leaden feet will walk more sluggishly than usual to the bus stop. Dull, heavy things can be described as leaden, like a dense, boring novel full of leaden dialog or your fatigued, leaden legs at the end of a full day's hike up a mountain. If something is the color of lead — a dull gray — that's also leaden, like the leaden, stormy sky. Finally, things made of lead are quite literally leaden, the word's original meaning, from a Germanic root meaning "heavy metal."
Vocabulary lists containing leaden
Othello
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The Diary of a Young Girl
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Spy School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Half the documentary’s parenthetical title — “The Weight of the World” — speaks to a common leaden feeling of gloom hovering over America’s semiquincentennial summer.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
Perhaps an exhibition could explore Jewish artists wrestling with their traditions, but here these objects land like leaden agitprop.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025
But her touch is so heavy that it becomes leaden, almost crushing.
From Salon • Oct. 21, 2025
The Oscar nominee gives her physical all to the movie and, as a thank you, “Ballerina” lets her stay mostly silent so its leaden lines don’t weigh down her performance.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2025
His voice is leaden, he sounds worn out.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
