1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light
a dim, windowless room in the basement of the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dulled
lacking a surface luster or gloss
over time, exposure to ultraviolet light will make bright pigments turn dim
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3
as in vague
not seen or understood clearly
have only a dim knowledge of the subject
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4
as in slow
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
our dog is kind of dim, but very sweet-natured
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as in to obscure
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
the storm clouds dimmed our view of the city from the airplane
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dim
Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 12 May 2026
Squatting, her eyes adjusting to the dim light, hoping for groggy chickens, their eyes shut and their beaks tucked into the fluff on their necks.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Jessica Blough, CNN Money, 22 May 2026
Now 35 and about to embark on his 14th consecutive home Test summer, England’s greatest batter still radiates a boyish quality that no amount of stubble or crow’s feet can dim.
—James Wallace, New York Times, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dim
Adjective
Guests first move through a dim corridor lined with towering stacks of CRT televisions flickering with grainy studio footage, ambient static and fragmented vocals.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 12 May 2026
Squatting, her eyes adjusting to the dim light, hoping for groggy chickens, their eyes shut and their beaks tucked into the fluff on their necks.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Verb
The guests arrive as the afternoon light dims on this Asheville, North Carolina, community.
—Jessica Blough, CNN Money, 22 May 2026
Now 35 and about to embark on his 14th consecutive home Test summer, England’s greatest batter still radiates a boyish quality that no amount of stubble or crow’s feet can dim.
—James Wallace, New York Times, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dim
Adjective
-
In the darkened foyer, Ember contemplated this unassuming bit of paper, momentarily paralyzed by a mixture of dread and excitement stirred together, an overpowering sensation that oozed from the crown of her head, down the length of her body, then hardened, like a soft golden resin becoming solid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
As scientists often find darkened teeth in ancient burials, other factors can contribute to a black appearance, notably the chewing of betel leaves.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Confusing or vague ones do not.—
Michael Gargiulo,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
Many tech industry associations have been lobbying against KOSA, saying its tenets are vague and potentially unconstitutional.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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Recovery of the bodies has been slow because of the chemicals and other hazards present at the site, Amos explained.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
-
One of the most painful things about this disease is knowing that promising treatments are emerging, but funding barriers and manufacturing and procedural slow-downs continue to derail progress.—
Elise Esposito,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
Verb
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And what the new board data from Women On Board raises a question about the durability of those seats that the headcount data alone obscures.—
Caroline Fairchild,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
Instead, messages are passed through a network of couriers created to obscure the supreme leader's location.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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In the second, highly lethal variant of the Black Death, patients typically exhibited no initial symptoms, such as the onset of a fever or the appearance of buboes, but instead would suddenly begin to vomit up blood (that was usually dark in color) and typically died soon thereafter.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
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The nose combines campfire smoke, toasted coconut, and sea spray with vanilla fudge and dark sugar.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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But Pace says its AI agents can handle the dull work that insurers typically outsource to massive offshore human call centers.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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Many things work in Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’s favor, distinguishing it from some of the duller comps in the past several years.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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To catch the faint signals of early-stage tumors, doctors required huge apparatus packed with complex optical paths, expensive spectrometers, and sensitive prisms.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
25 May 2026
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The finish is medium to long, led by charred oak, baking spice, and vanilla, with lingering notes of orange zest, brown sugar, and a faint herbal touch of tobacco.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
-
Pete Crow-Armstrong is young, but not dumb.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dim. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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