I. dim 1 /dɪm/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative dimmer , superlative dimmest )
[ Language: Old English ]
1 . DARK fairly dark or not giving much light, so that you cannot see well OPP bright :
in the dim light of the early dawn
a dim glow
2 . SHAPE a dim shape is one which is not easy to see because it is too far away, or there is not enough light:
The dim outline of a building loomed up out of the mist.
3 . take a dim view of something to disapprove of something:
Miss Watson took a dim view of Paul’s behaviour.
4 . dim recollection/awareness etc a memory or understanding of something that is not clear in your mind SYN vague :
Laura had a dim recollection of someone telling her this before.
5 . EYES literary dim eyes are weak and cannot see well:
Isaac was old and his eyes were dim.
6 . FUTURE CHANCES if your chances of success in the future are dim, they are not good:
Prospects for an early settlement of the dispute are dim.
7 . in the dim and distant past a very long time ago – used humorously
8 . NOT INTELLIGENT informal not intelligent:
You can be really dim sometimes!
—dimly adverb :
a dimly lit room
She was only dimly aware of the risk.
—dimness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ dark if a place is dark, there is little or no light:
The room was very dark.
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No, you can’t play outside, it’s too dark.
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It was a dark night with clouds covering the moon.
▪ dimly-lit a dimly-lit building or place is fairly dark because the lights there are not very bright:
a dimly-lit restaurant
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The church was dimly lit.
▪ dim a dim light is fairly dark:
The camera can take good pictures even in dim lighting.
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The evening sky grew dim.
▪ darkened a darkened room or building is darker than usual, especially because its lights have been turned off or the curtains have been drawn:
The prisoner lay in a darkened room.
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The play starts with a darkened stage, and the sound of a woman singing softly.
▪ gloomy a gloomy place or room is not at all bright or cheerful:
The bar was gloomy and smelled of stale cigar smoke.
▪ murky dark and difficult to see through – used especially about water:
the murky waters of the lake
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I could hardly see him in the murky light of the bar.
▪ pitch-dark/pitch-black completely dark, so that nothing can be seen:
It was pitch-dark inside the shed.
▪ shady a shady place is cooler and darker than the area around it, because the light of the sun cannot reach it:
It was nice and shady under the trees.
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They found a shady spot for a picnic.
II. dim 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle dimmed , present participle dimming )
1 . [intransitive and transitive] if a light dims, or if you dim it, it becomes less bright:
The lights in the theatre began to dim.
2 . [intransitive and transitive] if a feeling, quality etc dims or is dimmed, it grows weaker or less:
Even the rain could not dim their enthusiasm.
Hopes of a peaceful settlement have dimmed.
3 . dim your headlights/lights American English to lower the angle of the front lights of your car, especially when someone is driving towards you SYN dip British English