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
• thick
• dull
• dense
• foolish
• ignorant
• opaque
• soft
• vacuous
• obtuse
• unintelligent
• dopey
• fatuous
• idiotic
• doltish
• silly
• unreasonable
• witless
• brain-dead
• dorky
• oafish
• thickheaded
• irrational
• mindless
• mad
• gormless
• boneheaded
• brainless
• insane
• 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
• loony
• cuckoo
• unwise
• zany
• dotty
• wacky
• kooky
• invalid
• 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

The Further, in other words, doesn’t just have to be a foggy, dim netherworld. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026

Honestly, the future is dim for Maryland’s economy, especially when its most powerful lawmakers ignore the light switch in front of them. — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026

Verb

With the overhead lights dimmed and soft light spilling from the dioramas, the displays looked like windows to other worlds. — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Just before Wood announced the procurement of funds for the new building, the lights dimmed, and ECS members wheeled their race car into University Union Ballroom, where they were met with applause. — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Phrases Containing dim

• dim bulb