Dim — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb noun abbreviation /ˈdim/

Meaning & Definition of Dim

Dim (adjective)

  1. emitting or having a limited or insufficient amount of light
  2. dull, lusterless
  3. lacking pronounced, clear-cut, or vigorous quality or character

Dim (verb)

  1. to reduce the light from
  2. to make dim or lusterless
  3. to become dim

Dim (noun)

  1. low beam
  2. dusk, dimness

Dim (abbreviation)

  1. dimension
  2. diminished
  3. diminuendo
  4. diminutive

Dim (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being without light or without much light

    "a dim, windowless room in the basement of the house"

    similar: black, caliginous, dark, darkened, darkish, darkling, darksome, dimmed, dusk, dusky, gloomy, lightless, murky, obscure, obscured, pitch-black, pitch-dark, pitchy, rayless, somber, stygian, tenebrific, tenebrous, unlit
    related: crepuscular, twilit, moonless, starless, sunless, cloudy, dull, dulled, lackluster, shadowlike, shadowy, shady, gray, leaden, pale, beclouded, befogged, clouded, foggy, fuliginous, misty, smoggy, soupy
    opposite: bright, brightened, brilliant, illuminated, illumined, light, lit, lightsome, lucent, lucid, luminous
    near: ablaze, agleam, aglitter, alight, beaming, beamy, effulgent, glaring, glowing, incandescent, lambent, radiant, relucent, resplendent, shining, sparkling, ultrabright, glossy, lustrous, shiny, floodlit, highlighted, spotlighted, moonlit, moony, starlit, sunlit

  2. lacking a surface luster or gloss

    "over time, exposure to ultraviolet light will make bright pigments turn dim"

    similar: dull, dulled, flat, lusterless, matte
    related: tarnished, unpolished, cloudy, dingy, dirty, drab, lackluster, mousy, muddy, gray, leaden, pale, palish, black, dark, darkened, darkish, dimmed, dusky, gloomy, murky, obscure, obscured, pitch-black, pitch-dark, somber, stygian, tenebrific, tenebrous
    opposite: glossy, lustrous, shiny, sleek
    near: buffed, burnished, glazed, lacquered, polished, rubbed, shellacked, varnished, satin, satiny, silken, silky, slick, slippery, gemmy, gleaming, glimmering, glinting, glistening, glittering, scintillating, shimmering, shining, sparkling, twinkling, beaming, bedazzling, bright, brightened, brilliant, candescent, dazzling, effulgent, fulgent, glowing, incandescent, lambent, lucent, lucid, luminous, radiant, refulgent, resplendent

  3. not seen or understood clearly

    "have only a dim knowledge of the subject"

    similar: blear, bleary, blurry, faint, foggy, fuzzy, gauzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, indistinguishable, misty, murky, nebulous, obscure, opaque, pale, shadowy, unclear, undefined, undetermined, vague
    related: dark, dusky, gloomy, impalpable, inappreciable, intangible, invisible, hieroglyphic, incomprehensible, indecipherable, indiscernible, inexplicable, mysterious, obfuscatory, puzzling
    opposite: clear, definite, pellucid
    near: bright, distinct, evident, obvious, plain, certain, firm, strong, sure

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

    "our dog is kind of dim, but very sweet-natured"

    similar: airheaded, birdbrained, bonehead, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dense, 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

Dim (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to make dark, dim, or indistinct

    "the storm clouds dimmed our view of the city from the airplane"

    similar: becloud, bedim, befog, blacken, blear, blur, cloud, darken, dislimn, fog, fuzz (up), haze, mist, obscure, overcast, overcloud, overshadow, shadow, shroud
    related: adumbrate, blot out, conceal, eclipse, hide, obliterate, screen, shade, camouflage, cloak, cover, curtain, disguise, mask, veil
    opposite: brighten, illuminate, illumine, light (up), lighten
    near: expose, reveal, uncover, unveil

Related Entry: Dim bulb (noun)

Dim bulb is a different word from Dim. The synonyms below are for dim bulb, not for dim.

  1. a stupid person

    "was considered something of a dim bulb at work"

    similar: airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, bonehead, bubblehead, chowderhead, chucklehead, clodpoll, clot (British), cluck, clunk, cretin, cuddy (British dialect), deadhead, dimwit, dip, dodo, dolt, donkey, doofus (slang), dope, dork (slang), dullard, dum-dum, dumbbell, dumbhead, dummkopf, dummy, dunce, dunderhead, fathead, gander, golem, goof, goon, half-wit, hammerhead, hardhead, idiot, ignoramus, imbecile, jackass, know-nothing, knucklehead, lamebrain, loggerhead (chiefly dialect), loon, lump, lunkhead, meathead, mome (archaic), moron, mug (chiefly British), mutt, nimrod (slang), nincompoop, ninny, ninnyhammer, nit (chiefly British), nitwit, noddy, noodle, numskull, oaf, pinhead, prat (British), ratbag (chiefly Australian), saphead, schlub (slang), schnook (slang), simpleton, stock, stupe, stupid, thickhead, turkey, woodenhead, yahoo, yo-yo, dumb cluck
    related: booby, buffoon, fool, goose, loony, madman, nut, zany, loser, gawk, featherbrain, scatterbrain, beast, boor, cad, churl, clown, creep, cur, heel, jerk, skunk, snake, stinker, villain
    opposite: brain, genius
    near: intellect, intellectual, sage, thinker, whiz, wizard, polymath, Renaissance man, sharpie

Related Entry: Dim-witted (adjective)

Dim-witted is a different word from Dim. The synonyms below are for dim-witted, not for dim.

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

    "the show's amateur sleuth always has to explain to the dim-witted police chief who really committed the murder"

    similar: airheaded, birdbrained, bonehead, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dense, dim, 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

Related Entry: Dim-wittedness (noun)

Dim-wittedness is a different word from Dim. The synonyms below are for dim-wittedness, not for dim.

  1. the quality or state of lacking intelligence or quickness of mind

    "frustrated by the apparent dim-wittedness of the clerks in customer service"

    similar: boneheadedness, brainlessness, denseness, density, doltishness, dopiness, dorkiness, dullness, dumbness, fatuity, foolishness, gormlessness (chiefly British), mindlessness, oafishness, obtuseness, senselessness, simpleness, slowness, stupidity, stupidness, thickness, vacuity, weak-mindedness, witlessness
    related: feeblemindedness, simplemindedness, absurdity, asininity, balminess, craziness, daftness, dippiness, dottiness, fatuousness, folly, idiocy, inaneness, inanity, insanity, lunacy, madness, nincompoopery, nonsensicalness, nuttiness, preposterousness, silliness, simplicity, wackiness, zaniness, fallacy, irrationality, unreasonableness
    opposite: braininess, brightness, brilliance, cleverness, intelligence, keenness, quickness, quick-wittedness, sharpness, smartness
    near: acumen, alertness, astuteness, discernment, insight, judgment, perception, percipience, perspicacity, sagacity, sageness, sapience, wisdom, wit, logicality, logicalness, rationality, rationalness, reasonableness, soundness, validity

Related Entry: Dim bulbs (noun)

Dim bulbs is a different word from Dim. The synonyms below are for dim bulbs, not for dim.

  1. a stupid person

    "was considered something of a dim bulb at work"

    similar: airheads, birdbrains, blockheads, boneheads, bubbleheads, chowderheads, chuckleheads, clodpolls, clots (British), clucks, clunks, cretins, cuddies (British dialect), deadheads, dimwits, dips, dodoes, dolts, donkeys, doofuses (slang), dopes, dorks (slang), dullards, dumbbells, dumbheads, dum-dums, dummies, dummkopfs, dunces, dunderheads, fatheads, ganders, golems, goofs, goons, half-wits, hammerheads, hardheads, idiots, ignoramuses, imbeciles, jackasses, know-nothings, knuckleheads, lamebrains, loggerheads (chiefly dialect), loons, lumps, lunkheads, meatheads, momes (archaic), morons, mugs (chiefly British), mutts, nimrods (slang), nincompoops, ninnies, ninnyhammers, nits (chiefly British), nitwits, noddies, noodles, numskulls, oafs, pinheads, prats (British), ratbags (chiefly Australian), sapheads, schlubs (slang), schnooks (slang), simpletons, stocks, stupes, stupids, thickheads, turkeys, woodenheads, yahoos, yo-yos, dumb clucks
    related: boobies, buffoons, fools, geese, loonies, lunatics, madmen, nuts, zanies, losers, gawks, featherbrains, scatterbrains, beasts, boors, cads, churls, clowns, creeps, curs, heels, jerks, skunks, snakes, stinkers, villains
    opposite: brains, geniuses
    near: intellects, intellectuals, sages, thinkers, whizzes, wizards, polymaths, Renaissance men, sharpies

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Dim

The most common words with a similar meaning to Dim:

Slang: dorky
Chiefly British: gormless
black, caliginous, dark, darkened, darkish, darkling, darksome, dimmed, dusk, dusky, gloomy, lightless, murky, obscure, obscured, pitch-black, pitch-dark, pitchy, rayless, somber, stygian, tenebrific, tenebrous, unlit, dull, dulled, flat, lusterless, matte, blear, bleary, blurry, faint, foggy, fuzzy, gauzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, indistinguishable

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Dim

Words with the opposite meaning of Dim:

bright, brightened, brilliant, illuminated, illumined, light, lit, lightsome, lucent, lucid, luminous, glossy, lustrous, shiny, sleek, clear, definite, pellucid, apt, brainy, clever, fast, hyperintelligent, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, sharp, sharp-witted

Related Words for Dim

crepuscular, twilit, moonless, starless, sunless, cloudy, lackluster, shadowlike, shady, gray, leaden, beclouded, befogged, clouded, fuliginous, smoggy, soupy, tarnished, unpolished, dingy, dirty, drab, mousy, muddy, palish, impalpable, inappreciable, intangible, invisible, hieroglyphic

Near Antonyms of Dim

ablaze, agleam, aglitter, alight, beaming, beamy, effulgent, glaring, glowing, incandescent, lambent, radiant, relucent, resplendent, shining, sparkling, ultrabright, floodlit, highlighted, spotlighted, moonlit, moony, starlit, sunlit, buffed, burnished, glazed, lacquered, polished, rubbed

Word Forms of Dim

Inflections: dimmer, dimmest, dimmed, dimming

Derived words: dimly (adverb), dimmable (adjective), dimness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Dim

Middle English, from Old English dimm; akin to Old High German timber dark

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Dim

dim bulb, dim sum, dim-witted, dim view, take a dim view, take a dim view of

Frequently Asked Questions about Dim

What does "Dim" mean?

"Dim" means emitting or having a limited or insufficient amount of light. As an an adjective, a verb, a noun and an abbreviation, it is defined as: emitting or having a limited or insufficient amount of light. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Dim"?

Other words for "Dim" include black, caliginous, dark, darkened, darkish, darkling, darksome and dimmed. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Dim" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Dim"?

There are 209 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Dim". Common alternatives include black, caliginous, dark, darkened, darkish, darkling, darksome, dimmed, dusk and dusky.

What is the opposite of "Dim"?

Antonyms of "Dim" include bright, brightened, brilliant, illuminated, illumined, light, lit and lightsome. Near antonyms include ablaze, agleam, aglitter and alight.

How do you use "Dim" in a sentence?

Examples of "Dim" in a sentence: "a dim, windowless room in the basement of the house"; "over time, exposure to ultraviolet light will make bright pigments turn dim"; "have only a dim knowledge of the subject".

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

"Dim" can be used as an adjective, a verb, a noun and an abbreviation, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Dim"?

"Dim" is pronounced /ˈdim/.

What is the origin of the word "Dim"?

"Dim" comes from Middle English, from Old English dimm; akin to Old High German timber dark. First known use: before 12th century.