What does "dim" mean?
Dimness.
Dim
/dɪm/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Dimness.
- Grammar: dim is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bleak, dull, faint, achromatic.
- Useful contrasts: bright, colored, illuminated.
- Usage evidence: We saw a dim light in the distance.
How to use "dim"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dim" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dim" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dim" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dim" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dim" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bleak" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dim", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Dimness. archaic, uncountable
"All about me the Red Weed clambered among the ruins, writhing to get above me in the dim. Night, the Mother of Fear and Mystery, was coming upon me."
Verb
- 1 To make something less bright. transitive
"He dimmed the lights and put on soft music."
- 2 become vague or indistinct wordnet
- 3 To become darker. intransitive
"The lights dimmed briefly when the air conditioning was turned on."
- 4 make dim by comparison or conceal wordnet
- 5 To render dim, obscure, or dark; to make less bright or distinct.
"a king among his courtiers,[…] who out to dim the lustre of all his attendants"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 make dim or lusterless wordnet
- 7 To deprive of distinct vision; to hinder from seeing clearly, either by dazzling or clouding the eyes; to darken the senses or understanding of.
"And with our Sun-bright armour as we march, Weel chaſe the Starrs from heauen, and dim their eies That ſtand and muſe at our admyred armes."
- 8 become dim or lusterless wordnet
- 9 To diminish, dull, or curtail. figuratively
"All these setbacks had started to dim the hopes of the students."
- 10 switch (a car's headlights) from a higher to a lower beam wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Not bright or colorful.
"The lighting was too dim for me to make out his facial features."
- 2 Clipping of diminished. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, not-comparable
- 3 Not smart or intelligent. colloquial
"He may be a bit dim, but he's not entirely stupid."
- 4 Indistinct, hazy or unclear.
"His vision grew dimmer as he aged."
- 5 Disapproving, unfavorable: rarely used outside the phrase take a dim view of.
Adjective
- 1 lacking in light; not bright or harsh wordnet
- 2 made dim or less bright wordnet
- 3 slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity wordnet
- 4 lacking clarity or distinctness wordnet
- 5 offering little or no hope wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A male given name (from Bashkir Дим) .
- 2 vocative singular of Ди́ма (Díma)(•colloquial) form-of, singular, vocative
Antonyms
Example
"We saw a dim light in the distance."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dim"?
Common synonyms include: bleak, dull, faint, achromatic, achromatize, achromic.
How do you use "dim" in a sentence?
We saw a dim light in the distance.
How do you pronounce "dim"?
Pronounced /dɪm/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English dim, dym, from Old English dim, dimm (“dim, dark, gloomy; wretched, grievous, sad, unhappy”), from Proto-West Germanic *dimm, from Proto-Germanic *dimmaz (“dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰem- (“to whisk, smoke; obscure”). Compare Faroese dimmur (“dark”), Icelandic dimmur (“dark”) and dimma (“darkness”).
Etymology 2
From Bashkir.