denser; densest
1
a
: marked by compactness or crowding together of parts
dense vegetation
dense traffic
b
chemistry : having a high mass (see mass entry 2 sense 1c) per unit volume (see volume entry 1 sense 2)
Carbon dioxide is a dense gas.
The cake was overly sweet and dense.
2
a
: slow to understand : stupid, thickheaded
was too dense to get the joke
b
: extreme
dense ignorance
3
mathematics : having between any two elements at least one element
The set of rational numbers is dense.
4
: demanding concentration to follow or comprehend
dense prose
5
: having high or relatively high opacity (see opacity sense 2)
a dense fog
a dense photographic negative
densely adverb
denseness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for dense

stupid, dull, dense, crass, dumb mean lacking in power to absorb ideas or impressions.

stupid implies a slow-witted or dazed state of mind that may be either congenital or temporary.

stupid students just keeping the seats warm
stupid with drink

dull suggests a slow or sluggish mind such as results from disease, depression, or shock.

monotonous work that leaves the mind dull

dense implies a thickheaded imperviousness to ideas.

too dense to take a hint

crass suggests a grossness of mind precluding discrimination or delicacy.

a crass, materialistic people

dumb applies to an exasperating obtuseness or lack of comprehension.

too dumb to figure out what's going on

Examples of dense in a Sentence

They cut a path through the dense jungle. a dense tangle of wires a dense cluster of stars That part of the city has a dense population of immigrants. A dense mass of spectators filled the courtroom. In the movie, she plays his kind but somewhat dense aunt.
Recent Examples on the Web Gerrymandering and the natural sorting of voters between dense urban areas that are heavily Democratic and vast rural districts that are strongly Republican have left vanishingly few in play. Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 The animals are spread across the state from the open prairies to the dense timber in the mountains. Jace Bauserman, Field & Stream, 29 Feb. 2024 While the average skier or snowboarder may want more soft, fluffy flakes, racing events typically want snow that's more dense and icy — both of which can be altered at the turn of a dial on a snow machine, using more or less water in the snowmaking process. Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 29 Feb. 2024 The mother of five was told her cancer had likely been around since 2012 but went undetected on routine mammograms due to her dense breast tissue (a kind of breast tissue 40% of women have). Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 29 Feb. 2024 In this region dense with proto-Catholic history, however, Catholics themselves are few. Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 Some destinations, like Hawaii, are popular year-round, but are still considered to have shoulder seasons when visitors are typically less dense, such as in October. Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Filaments are much denser than the diffuse gas that fills most of the volume of a cloud. Nia Imara, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024 When construction is complete, the remaining area of the new deck for the Storing and Staging Facility will provide 3.5 acres of park space, a potential boon for the dense urban neighborhood. Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dense.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin densus; akin to Greek dasys thick with hair or leaves

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dense was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near dense

Cite this Entry

“Dense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dense. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dense

adjective
denser; densest
1
a
: marked by closeness or crowding together of parts
a dense forest
b
: having a high mass per unit volume
lead is a very dense metal
2
: slow to understand : stupid sense 1a
3
: thick entry 1 sense 4
dense fog
4
: having between any two mathematical elements at least one element
the set of rational numbers is dense
densely adverb
denseness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dense

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