dense

adjective \ ˈden(t)s \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

Definition of dense

denser; densest

1 a : marked by compactness or crowding together of parts

dense vegetation

dense traffic

b chemistry : having a high mass (see ²mass 1c) per unit volume (see ¹volume 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 2)

a dense fog

a dense photographic negative

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densely

adverb

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denseness

play \ˈden(t)-snəs\ noun

See dense defined for English-language learners

See dense defined for kids

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 of dense from the Web

Or, the black holes might form independently, but be driven together later by frequent gravitational interactions with other objects—something that could happen in the centres of dense star clusters.

— davide castelvecchi, Scientific American, "Here Come the Waves," 23 Apr. 2018
Sabine Ranch holds some of Texas’ best remaining nesting/brood rearing habitat for mottled ducks, and its wetlands and prairie attract some of the densest concentrations of wintering waterfowl found on the upper Texas coast.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Major additions in the works for Texas’ public lands," 22 Apr. 2018
There are voluminous police reports written in cop-speak and dense with details about every single thing cops said or did or photographed at Prince's Paisley Park home/studio compound on the day he was found dead in an elevator there.

— maria puente, USA TODAY, "Prince's death: His laptop, diet, weight loss and distress highlight intriguing police docs," 20 Apr. 2018
Plain green leaves are large and covered with dense, velvety fuzz.

— paul cappiello, The Courier-Journal, "This is the superhero of your garden. But, it's not what you'd expect," 20 Apr. 2018
Moreover, restarting even cross-border tourism, let alone heftier trade or investment, is impossible given the dense thicket of international sanctions around the North.

— The Economist, "What to expect from talks with North Korea," 19 Apr. 2018
Another dessert offering is the pan de elote ($3.50), a dense corn sheet cake with plenty of fresh sweet corn in the batter.

— courtney dabney, star-telegram, "La Antojeria Jalisco: Street-style Mexican favorites with Jalisco flavor | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 18 Apr. 2018
After boosting the rocket out of the dense lower atmosphere, the first stage fell away and flew back to a landing on the deck of an off-shore drone ship.

— william harwood, CBS News, "SpaceX launches NASA planet-hunting satellite," 18 Apr. 2018
Plus, watercress tops the list of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables that help prevent chronic disease, according to the Center of Disease Control.

— NBC News, "How to boost the nutrition (and flavor) in your sad desk salad," 12 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dense.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dense

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

dense Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

DENSE Defined for English Language Learners

dense

adjective

Definition of dense for English Language Learners

: having parts that are close together
: crowded with people
: not smart : not able to understand things easily

DENSE Defined for Kids

dense

adjective \ ˈdens \

Definition of dense for Students

denser; densest

1 : having its parts crowded together : thick

dense vegetation

dense fog

2 : stupid 1

I'm not dense enough to believe this story.

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densely

adverb

a densely populated region

Synonym Discussion of dense

dense, thick, and compact mean having parts that are gathered tightly together. dense is used of something in which the parts are very close together.