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as in thick
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily she accused him of being dense when he didn't seem to understand her at first

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective dense contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dense are crass, dull, dumb, and stupid. While all these words mean "lacking in power to absorb ideas or impressions," dense implies a thickheaded imperviousness to ideas.

too dense to take a hint

When can crass be used instead of dense?

The words crass and dense can be used in similar contexts, but crass suggests a grossness of mind precluding discrimination or delicacy.

a crass, materialistic people

When might dull be a better fit than dense?

While the synonyms dull and dense are close in meaning, dull suggests a slow or sluggish mind such as results from disease, depression, or shock.

monotonous work that leaves the mind dull

When would dumb be a good substitute for dense?

The meanings of dumb and dense largely overlap; however, dumb applies to an exasperating obtuseness or lack of comprehension.

too dumb to figure out what's going on

When is it sensible to use stupid instead of dense?

The words stupid and dense are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dense This produces an incredibly dense representation of usages and meanings, in which analogy becomes a matter of geometry. James Somers, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025 In situations of near-zero visibility due to dense fog, activate your hazard lights and seek a secure location, such as a nearby business's parking lot, to pull over and come to a stop. Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 3 Nov. 2025 In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop. Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2025 Kiwi skin is nutrient-dense and adds to the fruit's fiber content. Lauren O'Connor, Health, 3 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dense
Adjective
  • Wearing a well-fitting, high-quality mask in crowded indoor spaces also can reduce the risk of contracting respiratory infections or spreading your illness to others.
    Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
  • With wintry weather and crowded airports, Thanksgiving travel can already be stressful.
    Juliana Kim, NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The thick artificial foliage is pre-lit with warm white LED bulbs spaced through the entire length of the 10-foot piece.
    Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 5 Nov. 2025
  • With more than 38,000 gallons of fuel on board the cargo flight bound for Hawaii, the crash created a massive ball of fire – punctuated by smaller explosions from flammable material on the ground – and sent a towering plume of thick black smoke into the sky.
    Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Park was also recognized with the Auteur Award in front of a packed audience.
    Clayton Davis, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Pontiac mayoral race Pontiac's mayoral race is a packed slate, between Mike McGuinness and Kermit Williams, as well as write-in candidates Jashon Gilmore, Sabrina Jernagin and Wendell Woods.
    Detroit Free Press, Freep.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Tiles also exhibited hysteresis, which was smaller at slower speeds due to the rubber’s viscoelastic properties, as reported by Nanowerk.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Levi, an electrical engineer who founded MicroKits in 2020, has had to raise prices, slow production and pause plans to launch a new product – Banan-a-Synth – that lets kids turn a bunch of bananas into a kind of keyboard.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • There’s something rare about Swain, who is a young brainiac, but one who has built his business the old-fashioned, pre-quant-trading and Excel models Wall Street way, via charm offensives that weave webs of tight relationships few rivals can match.
    Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
  • Money was tight, especially when Smith’s father, who worked as a machinist after returning from World War II, was on strike.
    Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But also these dumb things, from another perspective, can have a certain type of digital trashy poetry.
    Andy Crump, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The bounty hunter kills some random dudes who are dumb enough to cross him and steals a Falka doll from some little girls who have adopted the Rats as folk heroes.
    Scott Meslow, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The source of the flare is an active galactic nucleus, or AGN — a bright, compact region at the center of a galaxy — and it’s powered by a supermassive black hole that is actively feeding on material.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • The compact form of 'Lemon-Lime' Nandina is well suited to patio containers and looks fabulous when massed in borders or planted as a low maintenance, natural hedge.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • And that’s a stupid, dumb, mindless question.
    Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Dessert Week is the stupidest week, at least conceptually.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dense. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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