Synonyms of dim

dim 1 of 2

adjective

ˈdim 

1

as in darkened

being without light or without much light

a dim, windowless room in the basement of the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

• darkened
• dark
• murky
• dimmed
• black
• unlit
• dusky
• obscured
• lightless
• gloomy
• obscure
• dusk
• somber
• darkling
• darkish
• pitch-dark
• darksome
• stygian
• pitch-black
• tenebrous
• pitchy
• rayless
• caliginous
• twilit
• crepuscular
• moonless
• starless
• misty
• gray
• tenebrific
• shadowy
• dulled
• lackluster
• pale
• clouded
• cloudy
• shady
• dull
• foggy
• leaden
• smoggy
• sunless
• fuliginous
• befogged
• shadowlike
• soupy
• beclouded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• bright
• luminous
• illuminated
• lit
• brilliant
• shining
• illumined
• lucid
• lucent
• brightened
• incandescent
• radiant
• sparkling
• lightsome
• glaring
• glowing
• effulgent
• resplendent
• lambent
• alight
• beamy
• beaming
• shiny
• glossy
• lustrous
• aglitter
• agleam
• ultrabright
• ablaze
• relucent
• moonlit
• sunlit
• highlighted
• moony
• starlit
• spotlighted
• floodlit

2

as in dulled

lacking a surface luster or gloss

over time, exposure to ultraviolet light will make bright pigments turn dim

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dulled
• dull
• lusterless
• matte
• gray
• flat
• dark
• pale
• dingy
• darkened
• black
• drab
• tarnished
• dimmed
• lackluster
• unpolished
• muddy
• cloudy
• mousy
• dusky
• gloomy
• obscured
• murky
• darkish
• leaden
• obscure
• somber
• dirty
• pitch-dark
• pitch-black
• tenebrous
• palish
• stygian
• tenebrific

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• shiny
• glossy
• lustrous
• sleek
• rubbed
• polished
• burnished
• glazed
• lacquered
• varnished
• shining
• satin
• silky
• satiny
• silken
• bright
• slippery
• gleaming
• luminous
• slick
• sparkling
• glistening
• brilliant
• dazzling
• buffed
• shimmering
• incandescent
• radiant
• shellacked
• twinkling
• lucid
• glowing
• effulgent
• resplendent
• lucent
• lambent
• glimmering
• glittering
• refulgent
• glinting
• brightened
• scintillating
• fulgent
• candescent
• gemmy
• beaming
• bedazzling

3

as in vague

not seen or understood clearly

have only a dim knowledge of the subject

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vague
• faint
• hazy
• pale
• dark
• fuzzy
• indistinct
• shadowy
• blurry
• foggy
• misty
• obscure
• murky
• undefined
• nebulous
• unclear
• indefinite
• opaque
• undetermined
• indistinguishable
• blear
• bleary
• dusky
• gloomy
• gauzy
• invisible
• intangible
• mysterious
• inexplicable
• incomprehensible
• puzzling
• inappreciable
• impalpable
• indiscernible
• indecipherable
• hieroglyphic
• obfuscatory

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• clear
• definite
• bright
• obvious
• distinct
• evident
• certain
• plain
• pellucid
• strong
• sure
• firm

4

as in slow

not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily

our dog is kind of dim, but very sweet-natured

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slow
• dumb
• stupid
• simple
• dull
• thick
• dense
• foolish
• ignorant
• soft
• opaque
• vacuous
• idiotic
• obtuse
• unintelligent
• dopey
• fatuous
• silly
• doltish
• unreasonable
• witless
• brain-dead
• irrational
• dorky
• oafish
• thickheaded
• mad
• mindless
• insane
• gormless
• boneheaded
• brainless
• slow-witted
• weak-minded
• crazy
• senseless
• dim-witted
• pinheaded
• bonehead
• lamebrain
• dunderheaded
• airheaded
• empty-headed
• thick-witted
• unsmart
• softheaded
• bubbleheaded
• lunkheaded
• chuckleheaded
• half-witted
• knuckleheaded
• moronic
• absurd
• birdbrained
• feebleminded
• simpleminded
• imbecile
• uneducated
• cretinous
• uninformed
• fool
• illiterate
• untaught
• unintellectual
• daffy
• dippy
• balmy
• nutty
• lowbrow
• unthinking
• cuckoo
• loony
• unwise
• zany
• dotty
• wacky
• invalid
• kooky
• illogical
• sappy
• daft
• preposterous
• asinine
• fallacious
• cockeyed
• nonsensical
• boobish
• screwball
• harebrained
• crackpot
• featherheaded
• tomfool
• half-baked

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bright
• brilliant
• apt
• sharp
• intelligent
• quick
• fast
• keen
• smart
• clever
• acute
• nimble
• wise
• ingenious
• resourceful
• keen
• knowing
• thinking
• intellectual
• cerebral
• perceptive
• sagacious
• insightful
• astute
• savvy
• brainy
• sage
• discerning
• knowledgeable
• literate
• scholarly
• erudite
• learned
• skilled
• ultrasmart
• sharp-witted
• quick-witted
• supersmart
• sound
• hyperintelligent
• reasonable
• informed
• perspicacious
• educated
• trained
• shrewd
• sapient
• cunning
• percipient
• sensible
• wily
• valid
• prudent
• crafty
• sane
• highbrow
• logical
• judicious
• rational
• well-read
• foxy
• schooled

dim

2 of 2

verb

as in to obscure

to make dark, dim, or indistinct

the storm clouds dimmed our view of the city from the airplane

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obscure
• darken
• blur
• blacken
• overcast
• mist
• cloud
• overshadow
• shadow
• haze
• fog
• blear
• becloud
• bedim
• shroud
• conceal
• shade
• hide
• overcloud
• fuzz (up)
• befog
• eclipse
• obliterate
• dislimn
• adumbrate
• cover
• blot out
• screen
• curtain
• mask
• veil
• cloak
• camouflage
• disguise

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• brighten
• illuminate
• lighten
• light (up)
• reveal
• illumine
• expose
• uncover
• unveil

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dim

Adjective

More officers were stashed throughout the dim warehouse, and still more waited miles down the road for the signal. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 July 2026

Other bright-light studies have measured roughly 20% to 40% higher peak cortisol in the first hour after waking when people were exposed to bright morning light versus dim conditions. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 21 July 2026

Verb

Stand out, shine, and don’t let anyone dim your light this month—or, really, in this lifetime! — Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Aug. 2026

The relentless cycle of attacks dims the potential of reaching a diplomatic end to Russia’s more than 4-year-old invasion of its neighbor. — ABC News, 31 July 2026

Phrases Containing dim

• dim bulb