dim
/dɪm
/adjective (dimmer, dimmest)
1(Of a light, colour, or illuminated object) not shining brightly or clearly: the dim glow of the fire...
- Her big dark emerald green eyes shone brightly in the dim light.
- The dim rays of light were shining through, just like before.
- The lighting that is currently in place is extremely poor, with only six lights providing dim illumination inside the subway.
Synonyms
faint, weak, feeble, soft, pale, dull, dingy, subdued, muted, flat, lustreless
informal wishy-washy
1.1(Of an object or shape) made difficult to see by darkness, shade, or distance: a dim figure in the dark kitchen...
- Then she began to make out dim shapes that in a few moments revealed themselves to be crates, tackle, ropes, barrels, and hooks.
- Then, turning back towards the dim shapes across the stream, ‘It's like that joke about looking into a nudist camp,’ he said.
- Eventually the ship's throbbing cut out, and they could see the dim shapes of launches being lowered over the sides.
Synonyms
indistinct, ill-defined, unclear, vague, shadowy, imperceptible, nebulous, obscured, blurred, blurry, fuzzy, bleary
rare obfuscated
1.2(Of a room or other space) made difficult to see in by darkness: long dim corridors...
- Frescoes of demons and spirits writhe across the walls of its prayer halls, and the drone of absorbed monks fills dim rooms and corridors.
- About half of the 20 young women are otherwise engaged in the Champagne Room, a dim, closet-size space that holds half a dozen couples.
- I was pleasantly surprised to discover a clamorous, dim room filled with networked computers available dirt-cheap.
Synonyms
dark, darkish, sombre, dingy, dismal, gloomy, dusky, murky;
grey, overcast, leaden, cloudy, misty, foggy;
badly lit, poorly lit, ill-lit, unlit, unilluminated
literary crepuscular, tenebrous
rare Stygian, Cimmerian, caliginous
1.3(Of the eyes) unable to see clearly: his eyes became dim...
- ‘My eyes are dim, I cannot see, I have not brought my specs with me, I have not brought my specs with me’.
- Her chestnut eyes were dim with sleepiness as they came in contact with his live blue ones.
- When she stood back up, the blood rushed around her brain and made her eyes go dim for a moment.
1.4(Of a sound) indistinct or muffled: the dim drone of their voices...
- My thinking was interrupted by dim sounds off in the distance.
- It was a dim sound, and was clearly growing steadier by the second.
- He pushed his focus toward the dim echoes of the water.
1.5Not clearly recalled or formulated in the mind: dim memories the matter was in the dim and distant past...
- I have in mind a dim memory of the Commissioner trying to grapple with this kind or problem.
- I can also vaguely recall occasionally going to a club called Catacombs, but since I was off my face on snakebite and black, my memories are dim and distant.
- Those days, however, must seem a dim and distant memory.
Synonyms
vague, unclear, indistinct, imprecise, imperfect, confused, sketchy, hazy, blurred, shadowy, foggy, obscure, remote
2(Of a situation) not giving cause for hope or optimism: their prospects for the future looked fairly dim...
- Once they leave, future prospects are extremely dim.
- The Minister painted a human figure in black surrounded by red with a dash of yellow on the top giving it a cheerful outlook in otherwise dim circumstances.
- But our chronically weak dollar is a clear sign that the global investment community thinks our economic prospects are dim.
Synonyms
gloomy, sombre, unpromising, unfavourable, discouraging, disheartening, depressing, dispiriting
3 informal Stupid or slow to understand: you’re just incredibly dim...
- No less worrisome, therefore, is the fact that the networks that own so many of these stations are too dim to understand this fact.
- It was generally accepted that he either wanted a nuclear war or was too dim to understand the consequences.
- I try convincing a couple of girls driving in to back out and go back in again, but they are too dim to understand.
verb (dims, dimming, dimmed)
1Make or become less bright or distinct: [with object]: a smoky inferno that dimmed the sun [no object]: the lights dimmed and the curtains parted...
- The bright lights dimmed, the piano's final note died down, and it was over.
- As the star got larger and larger and almost unbearably bright, the light started to dim, fading away behind them.
- When you come through the front door the lights have dimmed, the curtains closed and music is playing to welcome you home.
Synonyms
grow faint, grow feeble, grow dim, fade, dull
grow dark, darken, blacken, cloud over, become overcast, grow leaden, lour, become gloomy
1.1 [with object] Lower the beam of (a vehicle’s headlights) to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers: (as adjective dimmed) the car moved slowly, its headlights dimmed...
- This year, it plans to introduce automatic dimming headlights.
- They didn't dim their lights; hardly any driver that passed by dimmed his lights.
- Its headlights dimmed down, shutting off, and the driver guided the vehicle ahead.
Synonyms
turn down, lower, dip;
make dim, make faint, make less bright, make less intense, soften, subdue, mute
literary bedim
1.2Make or become less intense: [with object]: the difficulty in sleeping couldn’t dim her happiness...
- Conversely, after the Chinese intervention, support declined, based on dimming prospects for gains beyond the status quo.
- You've allowed the passage of time to dim the intensity of the moment and your rational faculty to devalue what is no longer integral to your life.
- The impact of a year of low-intensity warfare on public opinion on both sides of the divide has further dimmed the prospects for peace.
Synonyms
fade, become vague, become indistinct, grow dim, blur, become blurred, become shadowy, become confused;
dull, numb, fail, disappear
1.3Make or become less able to see clearly: [no object]: his eyes dimmed...
- His sight was dimming and his hearing had nearly disappeared.
- Jonathon's sight was dimming; it was swimming in blood and useless tears.
- If one continues to look at it, one's sight becomes dazzled and dimmed, so it is preferable to look at its image in water and avoid a direct look at it, because the intensity of its rays is thereby reduced.
Phrases
take a dim view of
Derivatives
dimmable
- Using dimmable ballasts that listen for control signals coming through existing power wiring, light levels are controlled by a power-line-carrier system.
- Newer ones last longer, are dimmable, and have a warmer-toned light, choose one that uses an electronic ballast: It won't have the inherent hum of the old magnetic ballasts.
- In the ‘best’ example, zoning permits users to separate the lights over the table, which are dimmable, from the lights around the room's perimeter.
dimmish
- From the dimmish light of the hallway, I opened my room's door to a small entryway and admired the hardwood floors.
- Notably, you'd not want to use it dimmish light, when people are moving quickly, without flash.
dimness
/ noun ...- See an eye care professional if you have any loss or dimness of vision, pain, fluid coming from the eye, double vision, redness, or swelling.
- What the dimness suggests here is the fading of one age and the approach of a new one, a cultural agon crystallized in these two men.
- We hurried a few steps down the hall, then stopped, our eyes adjusting to the dimness.
Origin
Old English dim, dimm, of Germanic origin; related to German dialect timmer.