1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light
a dim, windowless room in the basement of the house
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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
Matt Richardson, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The lighting goes dim and flickering, engineered to flatter.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Derek Gatopoulos, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2026
The City of Light’s luxury real estate market has dimmed in the new year.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dim
Adjective
For starters, the chances of rates increasing, at least currently, look dim.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The lighting goes dim and flickering, engineered to flatter.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
Kyiv has repeatedly updated its austere winter power-saving schedule, dimming or cutting streetlights in low-traffic areas and investing in less centralized power generation.
—Derek Gatopoulos, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2026
The City of Light’s luxury real estate market has dimmed in the new year.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dim
Adjective
-
Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui posted a video to X over the weekend, showing a dazzling view of auroras spreading like a tall blanket over the darkened Earth below.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Over the weekend, around 16,000 people paid their respects to the designer at his funeral chamber at the Armani Teatro designed by Tadao Ando, filled with white flowers and paper lanterns on the floor in a diagonal grid formation dimly lit up the darkened venue.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But ask them the why of this business, and the answers are usually vague.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Sheinbaum has been incredibly vague about where her country stood, and this week has given roundabout and ambiguous answers to inquiries about the shipments, and dodged reporters questions in her morning press briefings.—
Michelle L. Price,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Some folks who were moving a little slow, some folks wanted to dilute the Canadiana or the Big C Canadian of it.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
In practice, the process is slow, burdensome, and uncertain.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Unsheltered homelessness decreased by 45% between 2023 and 2025, according to those year’s counts, but advocates for homeless people say cold-weather shelters and other factors can obscure the figures.—
Jon Murray,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
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Law enforcement tracked license plate readers until the Mercedes-Benz’s plate was not obscured and found that the car was registered to Lu, according to a criminal complaint.—
Sierra van der Brug,
Oc Register,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Jim is the only one standing still, staring straight at the camera with his intense, dark-blue eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Small described the shooter as a male who was wearing dark clothing and black and white shoes.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And that is gratifying after two episodes of somewhat dull table-setting.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
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All in all, 2026 asks you to grow up without growing dull or losing your sense of wonder.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Even during moderate storms, auroras can appear as faint, gray or milky arcs to the naked eye, while appearing vivid in photographs.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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This allows exposures stretching up to 30 minutes, soaking up huge amounts of light to reveal incredibly faint objects in sharp detail.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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For the young generation of digital natives navigating AI anxiety around keeping up with peers using the technology and AI displacing them from jobs, the fear of the technology making people dumber is dominant.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
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This lens helps explain everything from investing mistakes and overspending to why some people quietly build wealth while others blow money in ways that, from the outside, look spectacularly dumb.—
Jasna Hodžić,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dim. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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