diffuse

¹dif·fuse

adjective \di-ˈfyüs\

Definition of DIFFUSE

1

: being at once verbose and ill-organized <a diffuse report from the scene of the earthquake>

2

: not concentrated or localized <diffuse lighting>

— dif·fuse·ly adverb

— dif·fuse·ness noun

Examples of DIFFUSE

1. The forest was filled with a soft, diffuse light.
2. <a diffuse speech that took a great deal of time to make a very small point>

Origin of DIFFUSE

Middle English, from Latin diffusus, past participle of diffundere to spread out, from dis- + fundere to pour — more at found

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to DIFFUSE

Synonyms

circuitous, circumlocutory, wordy, garrulous, logorrheic, long-winded, pleonastic, prolix, rambling, verbose, windy

Antonyms

compact, concise, crisp, pithy, succinct, terse

Related Words

chatty, communicative, conversational, gabby, loquacious, talkative, talky, voluble; periphrastic; redundant, repetitious, tautological, tautologous; embellished, embroidered, exaggerated; bombastic, gaseous, gassy, grandiloquent, highfalutin (also hifalutin)

Near Antonyms

brief, short; aphoristic, epigrammatic, sententious; compendious, summary; abbreviated, abridged, condensed, shortened; abrupt, blunt, brusque (also brusk), curt, laconic, snippy

See Synonym Discussion at wordy

Rhymes with DIFFUSE

Aarhus, abstruse, abuse, adduce, Atreus, blue spruce, burnoose, caboose, Cayuse, Cepheus, ceruse, charmeuse, chartreuse, Chartreuse, conduce, couscous, cut loose, deduce, disuse, educe, effuse, excuse, fair use, footloose, hang loose, induce, Lanús, misuse, mongoose, Morpheus, negus, obtuse, Orpheus, papoose, Peleus, Perseus, prepuce, produce, profuse, Proteus, Purus, recluse, red spruce, reduce, refuse, retuse, reuse, Sanctus, seduce, slip noose, snow goose, Tereus, Theseus, traduce, transduce, turn loose, unloose, vamoose

²dif·fuse

verb \di-ˈfyüz\

dif·fuseddif·fus·ing

Definition of DIFFUSE

transitive verb

1

a : to pour out and permit or cause to spread freely

b : extend, scatter

c : to spread thinly or wastefully

2

: to subject to diffusion; especially : to break up and distribute (incident light) by reflection

intransitive verb

1

: to spread out or become transmitted especially by contact

2

: to undergo diffusion

— dif·fus·ible \di-ˈfyü-zə-bəl\ adjective

Examples of DIFFUSE

1. The heat from the radiator diffuses throughout the room.
2. The heat was diffused throughout the room.
3. The photographer uses a screen to diffuse the light.
4. an area of diffused light

Origin of DIFFUSE

Middle English diffused, past participle, from Latin diffusus, past participle

First Known Use: 14th century