dim
/dɪm/ adjective, noun, verb, proper noun
Forms dimmer dimmest dims dimming dimmed
- adjective Not bright or colorful. “The lighting was too dim for me to make out his facial features.”
- adjective (colloquial) Not smart or intelligent. “He may be a bit dim, but he's not entirely stupid.”
- adjective Indistinct, hazy or unclear. “His vision grew dimmer as he aged.”
- adjective Disapproving, unfavorable: rarely used outside the phrase take a dim view of.
- noun (archaic) Dimness.
- verb (transitive) To make something less bright. “He dimmed the lights and put on soft music.”
- verb (intransitive) To become darker. “The lights dimmed briefly when the air conditioning was turned on.”
- verb To render dim, obscure, or dark; to make less bright or distinct.
- verb To deprive of distinct vision; to hinder from seeing clearly, either by dazzling or clouding the eyes; to darken the senses or understanding of.
- verb (figurative) To diminish, dull, or curtail. “All these setbacks had started to dim the hopes of the students.”
- proper noun A male given name (from Bashkir Дим) .
Synonyms
dull dingy addlebrained addlepated airheaded bee-brained beef-witted soft beefheaded beetle-headed birdbrained blockheaded Boeotian boneheaded boofheaded braindead brainless bubbleheaded buffle-headed bullet-headed dip blind blur slur subdued faint shadowy vague wispy dimmed
Antonyms
Etymology
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”).
From Bashkir.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Not bright or distinct; wanting luminousness or clearness; obscure in luster or sound; dusky; darkish; obscure; indistinct; overcast; tarnished.
- adjective Of obscure vision; not seeing clearly; hence, dull of apprehension; of weak perception; obtuse.
- verb To render dim, obscure, or dark; to make less bright or distinct; to take away the luster of; to darken; to dull; to obscure; to eclipse.
- verb To deprive of distinct vision; to hinder from seeing clearly, either by dazzling or clouding the eyes; to darken the senses or understanding of. Her starry eyes were dimmed with streaming tears. C. Pitt.
Etymology [AS. dim; akin to OFries. dim, Icel. dimmr: cf. MHG. timmer, timber; of uncertain origin.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dim”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details