dim

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dim

(dĭm)

adj. dim·mer, dim·mest

a. Lacking in brightness: a dim room.

b. Emitting only a small amount of light; faint: a dim light bulb. See Synonyms at dark.

2. Lacking luster; dull or subdued: dim, faded colors.

3. Faintly or unclearly perceived; indistinct: a dim figure in the distance; dim, far-off sounds.

4. Lacking sharpness or clarity; vague: a dim recollection; only a dim idea of how the machine worked.

5. Weak or diminished; feeble: dim eyesight; a dim hope.

6. Negative, unfavorable, or disapproving: a dim future in store; takes a dim view of gambling.

7. Dull or slow-witted: "[She] had always seemed rather dim and vacant" (Mary V. Dearborn).

tr. & intr.v. dimmed, dim·ming, dims

To make or become dim.

a. A parking light on a motor vehicle.

b. A low beam.

2. Archaic Dusk.

[Middle English, from Old English.]

dim′ly adv.

dim′ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

dim

(dɪm)

adj, dimmer or dimmest

1. badly illuminated: a dim room.

2. not clearly seen; indistinct; faint: a dim shape.

3. having weak or indistinct vision: eyes dim with tears.

4. lacking in understanding; mentally dull

5. not clear in the mind; obscure: a dim memory.

6. (Colours) lacking in brilliance, brightness, or lustre: a dim colour.

7. tending to be unfavourable; gloomy or disapproving (esp in the phrase take a dim view)

vb, dims, dimming or dimmed

8. to become or cause to become dim

9. (tr) to cause to seem less bright, as by comparison

10. (tr) US and Canadian to switch (car headlights) from the main to the lower beam. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): dip

[Old English dimm; related to Old Norse dimmr gloomy, dark]

ˈdimly adv

ˈdimness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

dim

(dɪm)

adj. dim•mer, dim•mest, adj.

1. not bright: a dim room; a dim light.

2. not seen or perceived clearly, distinctly, or in detail; faint: a dim outline.

3. not clear to the mind; vague: a dim idea.

4. not brilliant; dull in luster: a dim color.

5. not seeing clearly: eyes dim with tears.

6. not likely to happen, succeed, or be favorable: a dim chance of winning.

7. slow to understand; stupid.

v.t.

8. to make dim or dimmer.

9. to switch (the headlights of a vehicle) from the high to the low beam.

v.i.

10. to become or grow dim or dimmer.

Idioms:

take a dim view of, to regard with disapproval or skepticism.

[before 1000; Middle English, Old English dim(me)]

dim′ly, adv.

dim′ma•ble, adj.

dim′ness, n.

dim.

1. dimension.

2. diminish.

3. diminuendo.

4. diminutive.

dim

Past participle: dimmed
Gerund: dimming

Imperative
dim
dim

Present
I dim
you dim
he/she/it dims
we dim
you dim
they dim

Preterite
I dimmed
you dimmed
he/she/it dimmed
we dimmed
you dimmed
they dimmed

Present Continuous
I am dimming
you are dimming
he/she/it is dimming
we are dimming
you are dimming
they are dimming

Present Perfect
I have dimmed
you have dimmed
he/she/it has dimmed
we have dimmed
you have dimmed
they have dimmed

Past Continuous
I was dimming
you were dimming
he/she/it was dimming
we were dimming
you were dimming
they were dimming

Past Perfect
I had dimmed
you had dimmed
he/she/it had dimmed
we had dimmed
you had dimmed
they had dimmed

Future
I will dim
you will dim
he/she/it will dim
we will dim
you will dim
they will dim

Future Perfect
I will have dimmed
you will have dimmed
he/she/it will have dimmed
we will have dimmed
you will have dimmed
they will have dimmed

Future Continuous
I will be dimming
you will be dimming
he/she/it will be dimming
we will be dimming
you will be dimming
they will be dimming

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been dimming
you have been dimming
he/she/it has been dimming
we have been dimming
you have been dimming
they have been dimming

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been dimming
you will have been dimming
he/she/it will have been dimming
we will have been dimming
you will have been dimming
they will have been dimming

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been dimming
you had been dimming
he/she/it had been dimming
we had been dimming
you had been dimming
they had been dimming

Conditional
I would dim
you would dim
he/she/it would dim
we would dim
you would dim
they would dim

Past Conditional
I would have dimmed
you would have dimmed
he/she/it would have dimmed
we would have dimmed
you would have dimmed
they would have dimmed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	dim - switch (a car's headlights) from a higher to a lower beam dip change intensity - increase or decrease in intensity
	2.	dim - become dim or lusterless; "the lights dimmed and the curtain rose" change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night"
	3.	dim - make dim or lusterless; "Time had dimmed the silver" darken - make dark or darker; "darken a room"
	4.	dim - make dim by comparison or conceal blind darken - make dark or darker; "darken a room"
	5.	dim - become vague or indistinct; "The distinction between the two theories blurred" slur, blur weaken - become weaker; "The prisoner's resistance weakened after seven days" efface, obliterate - remove completely from recognition or memory; "efface the memory of the time in the camps"
Adj.	1.	dim - lacking in light; not bright or harsh; "a dim light beside the bed"; "subdued lights and soft music" subdued dark - devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black; "sitting in a dark corner"; "a dark day"; "dark shadows"; "dark as the inside of a black cat"
	2.	dim - lacking clarity or distinctness; "a dim figure in the distance"; "only a faint recollection"; "shadowy figures in the gloom"; "saw a vague outline of a building through the fog"; "a few wispy memories of childhood" faint, shadowy, wispy, vague indistinct - not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand; "indistinct shapes in the gloom"; "an indistinct memory"; "only indistinct notions of what to do"
	3.	dim - made dim or less bright; "the dimmed houselights brought a hush of anticipation"; "dimmed headlights"; "we like dimmed lights when we have dinner" dimmed
	4.	dim - offering little or no hope; "the future looked black"; "prospects were bleak"; "Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult"- J.M.Synge; "took a dim view of things" bleak, black hopeless - without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success; "in an agony of hopeless grief"; "with a hopeless sigh he sat down"
	5.	dim - slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; "so dense he never understands anything I say to him"; "never met anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick"- Thackeray; "dumb officials make some really dumb decisions"; "he was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse"; "worked with the slow students" dumb, slow, obtuse, dense, dull stupid - lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity

dim

adjective

1. dull, weak, pale, muted, subdued, feeble, murky, opaque, dingy, subfusc She stood waiting in the dim light.

2. poorly lit, dark, gloomy, murky, shady, shadowy, dusky, crepuscular, darkish, tenebrous, unilluminated, caliginous (archaic) The room was dim and cool and quiet.

3. cloudy, grey, gloomy, dismal, murky, overcast, leaden a dim February day
cloudy clear, fair, bright, pleasant, sunny, cloudless, limpid, unclouded

4. unclear, obscured, faint, blurred, fuzzy, shadowy, hazy, indistinguishable, bleary, undefined, out of focus, ill-defined, indistinct, indiscernible His torch picked out the dim figures.
unclear clear, distinct, sharp

5. obscure, remote, vague, confused, shadowy, imperfect, hazy, sketchy, intangible, indistinct The era of social activism is all but a dim memory.

6. unfavourable, bad, black, depressing, discouraging, gloomy, dismal, sombre, unpromising, dispiriting, disheartening The prospects for a peaceful solution are dim.

7. stupid (Informal) slow, thick, dull, dense, dumb (informal), daft (informal), dozy (Brit. informal), obtuse, unintelligent, asinine, slow on the uptake (informal), braindead (informal), doltish She's not as dim as she seems.
stupid bright, aware, sharp, keen, acute, smart, clever, intelligent, astute, brainy, quick-witted

verb

1. turn down, lower, fade, dip, dull, soften, subdue, bedim, make less bright Dim the overhead lights.

2. grow or become faint, fade, dull, grow or become dim The houselights dimmed.

3. darken, dull, blacken, cloud over, grow dark, become leaden The dusk sky dims to a chilly indigo.

4. diminish, decline, dwindle, wane, recede, subside, ebb, die out, fade away, shrivel, peter out, slacken Their economic prospects have dimmed.

5. fade, fail, disappear, dissolve, melt away, die away Their memory of what happened has dimmed.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

dim

adjective

1. Deficient in brightness:

caliginous, dark, dusky, murky, obscure.

2. Lacking vividness in color:

drab, dull, flat, muddy, murky.

3. Lacking gloss and luster:

dull, flat, lackluster, lusterless, mat.

4. Covered by or as if by a thin coating or film:

blurry, cloudy, filmy, hazy, misty.

5. Not clearly perceived or perceptible:

blear, bleary, cloudy, faint, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, misty, obscure, shadowy, unclear, undistinct, vague.

verb

1. To make dim or indistinct:

becloud, bedim, befog, blear, blur, cloud, dull, eclipse, fog, gloom, mist, obfuscate, obscure, overcast, overshadow, shadow.

2. To make or become less keen or responsive:

dull, hebetate, stupefy.

Translations

باهِتبَليد، غَيْر ذَكيمُعْتِم، خافِت، غَيْر واضِحيُخَفِّف الضّوء، يَعْتِم

hloupýkalnýmatnýpohasnouttlumený

dæmpetdumsløresvagtungnem

abblenden dämmerig schwer von Begriff trübe trüben

αμυδρός θολός μουντός

tenue atenuar borrar borroso débil

hämärä

borné brouiller faible foncer obscur

mračan

ködös

deyfa, depra, lækkaóljós, òokukenndursljór

abbassare fioco offuscare semibuio stupido

薄暗い

희미한

apsiblaustiblausiaiblausumasblaususmiglotai

aprobežotsaptumšotAsaras aizmigloja acisblāvsneskaidrs

schemerig

dempet gjøre svak gjøre uklar sløre treg

przyćmiony

escuro

тусклый

zakaliť

zasenčenzasenčiti

dunkel

สลัว

loşloşlaştırmakaptal donukışığı kısmak

mờ

暗淡的朦胧的迟钝的使变暗淡

dim

[dɪm]

A. ADJ (dimmer (compar) (dimmest (superl)))

1. (= not bright) [light] → débil, tenue; [room] → oscuro, poco iluminado
she read the letter by the dim light of a torch → leyó la carta con la ayuda de la débil or tenue luz de una linterna
even in the dim light the furniture looked dirty → incluso con la poca luz que había los muebles parecían sucios
her eyes were dim with tears → sus ojos estaban nublados por las lágrimas
to grow dim [light] → atenuarse, ir atenuándose; [room] → oscurecer, ir oscureciendo
his eyes had grown dim with age (liter) → su vista se había ido debilitando con la edad

2. (= indistinct) [figure, shape, outline] → borroso; [memory] → borroso, vago
in the dim and distant past → en un pasado muy remoto

3. (= gloomy) [prospects] → poco prometedor
to take a dim view of sth → ver algo con malos ojos

4. (= unintelligent) → corto, lerdo
he's a bit dim → es un poco corto, no tiene muchas luces

B. VT

1. (= make less bright) [+ light] → bajar, atenuar; [+ room] → oscurecer; [+ colours] → apagar; [+ metals] → deslucir, deslustrar; [+ eyesight] → debilitar
to dim the lights (in room, theatre) → bajar or atenuar la luz
to dim one's (head)lights → poner las luces cortas or de cruce → poner las luces bajas (LAm)
she looked at him through eyes dimmed by tears → lo miró con los ojos nublados por las lágrimas

2. (= dampen, diminish) [+ hopes] → hacer perder, empañar (liter); [+ senses] → debilitar
the passing years had not dimmed her beauty → el paso de los años no había marchitado su belleza
to dim sb's spirits → desanimar a algn, desalentar a algn

3. (= fade) [+ outline, memory] → borrar

C. VI

1. (= become less bright) [light] → atenuarse, ir atenuándose; [metal] → deslucirse, ir desluciéndose; [colour] → apagarse, ir apagándose; [eyesight] → debilitarse, ir debilitándose

2. (= diminish) [hopes] → ir perdiéndose, ir empañándose (liter); [beauty] → marchitarse, ir marchitándose

3. (= fade) [outline, memory] → hacerse borroso

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

dim

[ˈdɪm]

adj

[light, eyesight] → faible
to grow dim → baisser, décliner

(= dimly lit) [room] → sombre

[memory, outline] → vague, indécis(e)

(= stupid) → borné(e), bouché(e)

(= poor) [prospects] → sombre

to take a dim view of sth → voir qch d'un mauvais œil

[+ light] → réduire, baisser

(US) [+ headlights] → mettre en code
to dim one's lights (headlights) → se mettre en code

vi (= grow dim) [light] → baisser

dim

adj (+er)

(= not bright) light, lamp → schwach, trüb; metal → matt, glanzlos; (= badly lit) room → dämmerig, dunkel; the room grew dim → im Zimmer wurde es dunkel

(= vague) figure, shape → undeutlich; outline → schwach, undeutlich; memory, recollection → dunkel; I have a dim memory or recollection of it → ich erinnere mich nur (noch) dunkel daran; to have a dim awareness of something → sich (dat) → einer Sache (gen) → nur undeutlich bewusst sein

(= gloomy) prospects, outlook → schlecht; it’s a dim lookout for him → es sieht sehr schlecht für ihn aus; to take a dim view of something → mit etw gar nicht einverstanden sein

(inf: = stupid) → beschränkt (inf), → schwer von Begriff (inf)

(liter) eyes → trüb (liter)

(= turn down) light → dämpfen; lamp → verdunkeln; to dim the lights (Theat) → das Licht langsam ausgehen lassen; to dim one’s headlights (esp US) → abblenden

(= make dull) colour → dämpfen, decken; sound → dämpfen; metal → mattieren; sight, mind, senses, memory → trüben; beauty → verblassen lassen; glory → beeinträchtigen

(light) → schwach or trübe werden; (lamp) → verlöschen, dunkler werden

(= become dull, colour) → gedämpft or matter werden; (sound) → leiser werden; (metal) → mattiert werden; (memory) → nachlassen; (beauty) → verblassen; (glory) → verblassen, vergehen; (sight) → nachlassen, getrübt werden

dim

dimwit

n (inf) → Schwachkopf m (inf)

dim-witted

adj (inf) → blöd (inf), → dämlich (inf), → beschrämkt (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

dim

[dɪm]

1. adj (-mer (comp) (-mest (superl))) (light) → debole, fioco/a; (sight) → debole; (forest) → oscuro/a; (room) → in penombra; (shape, outline, memory, sound) → indistinto/a, vago/a (fam) (person) → tonto/a, ottuso/a
to grow dim (light) → affievolirsi (eyesight) → indebolirsi
to take a dim view of sth (fam) → non vedere qc di buon occhio

2. vt (light) → abbassare (Am) (headlights) → abbassare; (sound, memory, colour) → affievolire; (shape, outline, beauty, glory) → offuscare; (sight, senses) → annebbiare; (metal) → annerire

3. vi (light, sight, memory) → affievolirsi; (outline) → divenire indistinto/a

dim

(dim) adjective

1. not bright or distinct. a dim light in the distance; a dim memory.

2. (of a person) not intelligent. She's a bit dim!

verb – past tense, past participle dimmed –

to make or become dim. Tears dimmed her eyes; He dimmed the lights in the theatre.

ˈdimly adverb

ˈdimness noun

dim

→ باهِت tlumený dæmpet dämmerig μουντός tenue hämärä terne mračan fioco 薄暗い 희미한 schemerig uklar przyćmiony escuro тусклый dunkel สลัว loş mờ 暗淡的

dim

a. débil, mortecino-a; confuso-a; opaco-a.

dim

adj (comp dimmer; super dimmest) oscuro, indistinto

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

And Miss Monflathers, the audacious creature who presumed, even in the dimmest and remotest distance of her imagination, to conjure up the degrading picture, 'I am a'most inclined,' said Mrs Jarley, bursting with the fulness of her anger and the weakness of her means of revenge, 'to turn atheist when I think of it!'

View in context

Louisa drew back into the dimmest corner of the room.

View in context

There was no use in trying to emancipate a wife who had not the dimmest notion that she was not free; and he had long since discovered that May's only use of the liberty she supposed herself to possess would be to lay it on the altar of her wifely adoration.

View in context

Bearing these gifts, they raised the latch of Betty Higden's door, and saw her sitting in the dimmest and furthest corner with poor Johnny in her lap.

View in context

But at present she was doing what required only the dimmest light-- sponging the aching head that lay on the pillow with fresh vinegar.

View in context

Each power had had but the dimmest inkling of the schemes of its rivals, and even experiments with its own devices were limited by the needs of secrecy.

View in context

This follows on the back of the original Pink Panther (1963) and 1964's A Shot In The Dark, where poor old Clouseau - the dimmest but funniest detective creation ever - yet again blunders his way through a top secret investigation.

FILM REVIEW: Pete hasn't a clue; Return Of The Pink Panther ITV, 1.40am - 3.45am

And just to make sure even the dimmest of viewers got the message, the girl was seen to wipe her hand across her nose.

The Bill push their luck; TELLY TALK: LAST NIGHT'S VIEW

If one assumes the bursts appear faint only because they lie farther from Earth, then the findings support the notion of an expanding universe and an origin for the dimmest GRO bursts several billion light-years beyond our galaxy, Nemiroff asserts.

Gamma-ray bursts: a distant stretch?

About every 2 days 20 hours 49 minutes, the eclipsing variable star Algol ([beta] Persei) is at its dimmest, magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1.

Minima of Algol

Now, however, it has finally dawned on even the dimmest of English supporters that most Scots do not wish their team well and they're giving it back in spades.

RECORD VIEW: Auld Enemies must be friends

Light striking the emulsion causes crystals of silver halide to develop into grains of silver; since dim light penetrates only the uppermost layers of the negative, the dark grains that form the dimmest images lie near the top.