dim
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
How often you will meet it
Rank 1,942 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 9,262 times across 175,112 chapters — 0.004% of every word in the library.
What it means
adjective
- lacking in light; not bright or harsh also: subdued a dim light beside the bedsubdued lights and soft music
- lacking clarity or distinctness also: faint, shadowy, vague, wispy a dim figure in the distanceonly a faint recollection
- made dim or less bright also: dimmed the dimmed houselights brought a hush of anticipationdimmed headlights
- offering little or no hope also: black, bleak the future looked blackprospects were bleak
- slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity also: dense, dull, dumb, obtuse, slow so dense he never understands anything I say to himnever met anyone quite so dim
verb
- switch (a car's headlights) from a higher to a lower beam also: dip
- become dim or lusterless the lights dimmed and the curtain rose
- make dim or lusterless Time had dimmed the silver
dim in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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His dim recollection of it all formed his one conception of heaven.
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch · Alice Caldwell Hegan Rice · Chapter 1
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The dim roar of London was like the bourdon note of a distant organ.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1
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What fearful shapes and shadows beset his path, amidst the dim and ghastly glare of a snowy night!
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow · Washington Irving · Chapter 1
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At last a dozen more he drew-- (Fine-drawing 'twas to him!) But day past by--and twilight came, All objects soon grew dim.
Sketches by Seymour — Volume 04 · Robert Seymour · Chapter 1
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Then a man’s figure approached, coming so close to her that under their formless wrappings they seemed merged in one dim outline.
Ethan Frome · Edith Wharton · Chapter 1