Dense — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ˈden(t)s/

Meaning & Definition of Dense

Dense (adjective)

  1. marked by compactness or crowding together of parts
  2. having a high mass per unit volume
  3. slow to understand, stupid, thickheaded

Dense (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having little space between items or parts

    "the dense soil in the garden"

    similar: close, compact, crowded, jam-packed, packed, serried, thick, tight
    related: crammed, jammed, overcrowded, crushed, massed, pressed, squeezed, wall-to-wall, airtight, snug, compacted, compressed, condensed, congested, firm, hard, solid, impenetrable, impermeable, impervious
    opposite: airy, loose, open, uncrowded
    near: commodious, roomy, spacious

  2. not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily

    "she accused him of being dense when he didn't seem to understand her at first"

    similar: airheaded, birdbrained, bonehead, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky (slang), dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatuous, gormless (chiefly British), half-witted, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, lunkheaded, mindless, oafish, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, senseless, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, stupid, thick, thick-witted, thickheaded, unintelligent, unsmart, vacuous, weak-minded, witless
    related: cretinous, feebleminded, simpleminded, boobish, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, moronic, ignorant, illiterate, lowbrow, uneducated, uninformed, unintellectual, untaught, unthinking, absurd, asinine, balmy, cockeyed, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, featherheaded, fool, half-baked, harebrained, insane, kooky, loony, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, silly, tomfool, unwise, wacky, zany, fallacious, illogical, invalid, irrational, unreasonable
    opposite: apt, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, fast, hyperintelligent, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, sharp, sharp-witted, smart, supersmart, ultrasmart
    near: ingenious, resourceful, acute, astute, discerning, insightful, keen, knowing, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sage, sapient, savvy, wise, cerebral, erudite, highbrow, intellectual, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, thinking, well-read, educated, informed, schooled, skilled, trained, crafty, cunning, foxy, shrewd, wily, judicious, prudent, sane, sensible, sound, logical, rational, reasonable, valid

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Dense

The most common words with a similar meaning to Dense:

Slang: dorky
Chiefly British: gormless
close, compact, crowded, jam-packed, packed, serried, thick, tight, airheaded, birdbrained, bonehead, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatuous, half-witted, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, lunkheaded, mindless, oafish, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, senseless, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Dense

Words with the opposite meaning of Dense:

airy, loose, open, uncrowded, apt, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, fast, hyperintelligent, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, sharp, sharp-witted, smart, supersmart, ultrasmart

Related Words for Dense

crammed, jammed, overcrowded, crushed, massed, pressed, squeezed, wall-to-wall, airtight, snug, compacted, compressed, condensed, congested, firm, hard, solid, impenetrable, impermeable, impervious, cretinous, feebleminded, simpleminded, boobish, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, moronic, ignorant, illiterate

Near Antonyms of Dense

commodious, roomy, spacious, ingenious, resourceful, acute, astute, discerning, insightful, knowing, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sage, sapient, savvy, wise, cerebral, erudite, highbrow, intellectual, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, thinking, well-read, educated, informed

Word Forms of Dense

Inflections: denser, densest

Derived words: densely (adverb), denseness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Dense

Latin densus; akin to Greek dasys thick with hair or leaves

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Dense

Frequently Asked Questions about Dense

What does "Dense" mean?

"Dense" means marked by compactness or crowding together of parts. As an adjective, it is defined as: marked by compactness or crowding together of parts. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Dense"?

Other words for "Dense" include close, compact, crowded, jam-packed, packed, serried, thick and tight. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Dense" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Dense"?

There are 120 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Dense". Common alternatives include close, compact, crowded, jam-packed, packed, serried, thick, tight, airheaded and birdbrained.

What is the opposite of "Dense"?

Antonyms of "Dense" include airy, loose, open, uncrowded, apt, brainy, bright and brilliant. Near antonyms include commodious, roomy, spacious and ingenious.

How do you use "Dense" in a sentence?

Examples of "Dense" in a sentence: "the dense soil in the garden"; "she accused him of being dense when he didn't seem to understand her at first".

Is "Dense" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Dense" is an adjective.

Is "Dense" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Dense" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Dense"?

"Dense" is pronounced /ˈden(t)s/.