dim

I. dim¹ /dɪm/ BrE AmE adjective (comparative dimmer, superlative dimmest)
[Language: Old English]
1. DARK fairly dark or not giving much light, so that you cannot see well OPP bright:
in the dim light of the early dawn
a dim glow
2. SHAPE a dim shape is one which is not easy to see because it is too far away, or there is not enough light:
The dim outline of a building loomed up out of the mist.
3. take a dim view of something to disapprove of something:
Miss Watson took a dim view of Paul’s behaviour.
4. dim recollection/awareness etc a memory or understanding of something that is not clear in your mind SYN vague:
Laura had a dim recollection of someone telling her this before.
5. EYES literary dim eyes are weak and cannot see well:
Isaac was old and his eyes were dim.
6. FUTURE CHANCES if your chances of success in the future are dim, they are not good:
Prospects for an early settlement of the dispute are dim.
7. in the dim and distant past a very long time ago – used humorously
8. NOT INTELLIGENT informal not intelligent:
You can be really dim sometimes!
—dimly adverb:
a dimly lit room
She was only dimly aware of the risk.
—dimness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ dark if a place is dark, there is little or no light: The room was very dark. | No, you can’t play outside, it’s too dark. | It was a dark night with clouds covering the moon.
▪ dimly-lit a dimly-lit building or place is fairly dark because the lights there are not very bright: a dimly-lit restaurant | The church was dimly lit.
▪ dim a dim light is fairly dark: The camera can take good pictures even in dim lighting. | The evening sky grew dim.
▪ darkened a darkened room or building is darker than usual, especially because its lights have been turned off or the curtains have been drawn: The prisoner lay in a darkened room. | The play starts with a darkened stage, and the sound of a woman singing softly.
▪ gloomy a gloomy place or room is not at all bright or cheerful: The bar was gloomy and smelled of stale cigar smoke.
▪ murky dark and difficult to see through – used especially about water: the murky waters of the lake | I could hardly see him in the murky light of the bar.
▪ pitch-dark/pitch-black completely dark, so that nothing can be seen: It was pitch-dark inside the shed.
▪ shady a shady place is cooler and darker than the area around it, because the light of the sun cannot reach it: It was nice and shady under the trees. | They found a shady spot for a picnic.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

dim

dim [dim dims dimmed dimming dimmer dimmest] adjective, verb [dɪm] [dɪm]

adjective (dim·mer, dim·mest)

LIGHT
1. not bright
• the dim glow of the fire in the grate

• This light is too dim to read by.

PLACE

2. where you cannot see well because there is not much light

• a dim room/street

SHAPE

3. that you cannot see well because there is not much light
• the dim outline of a house in the moonlight

• I could see a dim shape in the doorway.

EYES

4. not able to see well

• His eyesight is getting dim.

MEMORIES

5. that you cannot remember or imagine clearly
Syn: vague
• dim memories
• She had a dim recollection of the visit.

• (humorous) in the dim and distant past

PERSON

6. (informal, especially BrE) not intelligent

• He's very dim.

SITUATION

7. not giving any reason to have hope; not good
• Her future career prospects look dim.
Word Origin:
Old English dim, dimm, of Germanic origin; related to German dialect timmer.
Thesaurus:
dim adj.
1.
• The light was too dim to read by.
faint • • weak • • soft • |literary thin •
Opp: bright
dim/faint/weak/soft/thin light
a dim/faint/soft glow
a dim/faint outline
Dim, faint or weak? Dim describes light in a room or place when it is not bright enough to see clearly; faint describes a particular point of light which is hard to see; weak usually describes sunlight that is not bright.
2.
• They stepped into the dim and cluttered shop.
gloomy • • dreary • • dingy •
Opp: bright
a dim/gloomy/dreary/dingy room
a dim/gloomy corridor/interior/street
a dim/gloomy/dreary place/day
Example Bank:
• He seems incredibly dim sometimes!
• He was good-natured but rather dim.
• The living room looked dim and shadowy.
• A dim lamp swung in the entrance.
• A voice came from the dim interior.
• It was hard to see in the dim glow of the streetlights.
• Owls' eyesight is good in dim light.
• She was a pleasant but rather dim young woman.
• The light is too dim to read by.
• The room was dim because the curtains were half drawn.
• The room was very dim with a murky greenish light.
• They stepped into the dim and cluttered little shop.
Idiom: take a dim view of somebody

Derived Word: dimness

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

dim / dɪm / adjective ( dimmer , dimmest ) (NOT CLEAR)

C2 not giving or having much light:

The lamp gave out a dim light.

He sat in a dim corner of the waiting room.

We could see a dim (= not easily seen) shape in the fog.

literary If your eyes are dim, you cannot see very well. a dim memory, recollection, etc. C2 something that you remember slightly, but not very well:

I had a dim recollection of having met her before.

dimly / ˈdɪm.li / adverb

The room was dimly lit.

I dimly remembered seeing the film before.

dimness / ˈdɪm.nəs / noun [ U ]

dim / dɪm / adjective ( dimmer , dimmest ) informal (NOT CLEVER)

not very clever:

He's a nice guy, but a little dim.

Don't be dim!

dimly / ˈdɪm.li / adverb

The room was dimly lit.

I dimly remembered seeing the film before.

dimness / ˈdɪm.nəs / noun [ U ]

dim / dɪm / adjective ( dimmer , dimmest ) (NOT POSITIVE)

not likely to succeed:

The company's prospects for the future are rather dim.

dimly / ˈdɪm.li / adverb

The room was dimly lit.

I dimly remembered seeing the film before.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

dim

/dɪm/
(dimmer, dimmest, dims, dimming, dimmed)

1.
Dim light is not bright.
She stood waiting, in the dim light...
ADJ
• dim‧ly
He followed her into a dimly lit kitchen.
ADV: ADV after v, ADV -ed
• dim‧ness
...the dimness of an early September evening.
N-UNCOUNT

2.
A dim place is rather dark because there is not much light in it.
The room was dim and cool and quiet.
ADJ
• dim‧ness
I squinted to adjust my eyes to the dimness.
N-UNCOUNT

3.
A dim figure or object is not very easy to see, either because it is in shadow or darkness, or because it is far away.
Pete’s torch picked out the dim figures of Bob and Chang.
= faint
ADJ
• dim‧ly
The shoreline could be dimly seen.
ADV: usu ADV with v

4.
If you have a dim memory or understanding of something, it is difficult to remember or is unclear in your mind.
It seems that the ’60s era of social activism is all but a dim memory.
= hazy
ADJ: usu ADJ n
• dim‧ly
Christina dimly recalled the procedure...
ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj

5.
If the future of something is dim, you have no reason to feel hopeful or positive about it.
The prospects for a peaceful solution are dim.
≠ bright
ADJ

6.
If you describe someone as dim, you think that they are stupid. (INFORMAL)
ADJ

7.
If you dim a light or if it dims, it becomes less bright.
Dim the lighting–it is unpleasant to lie with a bright light shining in your eyes...
The houselights dimmed.
VERB: V n, V

8.
If your future, hopes, or emotions dim or if something dims them, they become less good or less strong.
Their economic prospects have dimmed...
Forty eight years of marriage have not dimmed the passion between Bill and Helen.
VERB: V, V n

9.
If your memories dim or if something dims them, they become less clear in your mind.
Their memory of what happened has dimmed...
The intervening years had dimmed his memory.
VERB: V, V n

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

¹dim /ˈdɪm/ adj dim·mer; dim·mest
1 : not bright or clear
• I found her sitting in a dim [=dark] corner of the restaurant.
• a dim [=obscure, faint] light
• dim stars : not seen clearly
• Just the dim outline of the building could be seen through the fog.
2 : not understood or remembered in a clear way
• We had only a dim [=faint, vague] notion of what was going on.
• I have a dim memory of your last visit.
- see also the dim and distant past at distant
3 : not likely to be good or successful
• Prospects for a quick settlement of the strike appear dim. [=unlikely]
• (US) The industry faces a dim [=grim] future.
4 : not good or favorable - used in the phrase dim view
• The author's dim view [=bad opinion] of politicians is apparent throughout the book.
• She takes a dim view of human nature. [=she believes that people are naturally bad]
• Many fans take a dim view of [=many fans are unhappy about] recent changes in the team.
5 informal : not intelligent : stupid or dim-witted
• She found him pretty dim at times.
- dim·ly adv
• The lights were shining dimly.
• a dimly lit room
• I dimly remember him.
- dim·ness noun [noncount]
• the gray dimness of dawn