not bright; obscure from lack of light or emitted light.
a dim room; a dim flashlight.
not seen clearly or in detail; indistinct.
a dim object in the distance.
not clear to the mind; vague.
a dim idea.
not brilliant; dull in luster.
a dim color.
not clear or distinct to the senses; faint.
a dim sound.
not seeing clearly.
eyes dim with tears.
tending to be unfavorable; not likely to happen, succeed, be favorable, etc..
a dim chance of winning.
not understanding clearly.
rather stupid; dim-witted.
dimension.
diminish.
diminuendo.
diminutive.
badly illuminated
a dim room
not clearly seen; indistinct; faint
a dim shape
having weak or indistinct vision
eyes dim with tears
lacking in understanding; mentally dull
not clear in the mind; obscure
a dim memory
lacking in brilliance, brightness, or lustre
a dim colour
tending to be unfavourable; gloomy or disapproving (esp in the phrase take a dim view )
to become or cause to become dim
(tr) to cause to seem less bright, as by comparison
Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): dip. (tr) to switch (car headlights) from the main to the lower beam
What does dim mean? Dim describes something as lacking light or having a weak brightness, as in a dim flashlight or a dim tunnel. Dim also describes things that are unclear, because of poor visibility, a weak understanding, or a more general lack of clarity, as in a dim shape in the distance, a dim noise, or a dim knowledge of math. Dim also describes having weak or poor vision, as in Jane’s eyes were dim with tears. Dim can be used to mean lacking mental ability or having low intelligence. However, this is almost always considered insulting. As a verb, dim means to make something dim or less bright, as in He dimmed the lights. It can also be used to mean to grow dim or dimmer, as in The noise of the engine dimmed as the car drove out of sight. Example: Although the tunnel was dim, the faint candlelight guided the miner back to the surface.
See dark.
before 1000; Middle English, Old English dim ( me ), cognate with Old Frisian dim, Old Norse dimmr
From the Latin word dīmidius
Dim has several meanings related to a lack of light, hope, or knowledge. A room that is not well lit is dim, a slow thinker is dim, and when life looks hopeless, your prospects are dim. To dim a light is to dull it, like by putting a shade over it. A vague idea without a lot of specifics is also dim, since it's hard to see or understand the idea. Someone who's not very bright is dim or a dimwit. When things are hopeless, they're dim too. For example, if a football team is losing by fifty points, their chances of winning are dim.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But labour representatives and the German state of Lower Saxony -- both of whom take a dim view of possible plant closures -- together hold more than half the seats on VW's supervisory board.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
These ancient variable stars are especially important because they brighten and dim in a predictable pattern.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
Before the lights dim and the trailers roll, moviegoers will start to see microdrama ads in movie theaters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Once someone knows they can dim the lights or crack a window, they feel better about the space even on the days they don’t touch a thing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
Above us, every few stretches, there’s a false sun shining down with dim, orangish light.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
“It was looking pretty dim. Fifty-two, and you die right there, on your own property? That’s pretty sad. This gives a whole new meaning to life right now.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2023
"The establishment is saying if you don't go to college, your soul is lost and your future is quite dim. We are saying you can have perfectly fulfilling careers outside that path."
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2015
To outsiders he might seem a dim. ineffectual visionary, but to them he was a genuine Messiah.
From Time Magazine Archive
Parry spent many of his nights alone in his ascetic bedroom, the lights dim. his weighty frame slack on the bed.
From Time Magazine Archive
Pantalaimon at her ear, a goldfinch now, whispered, “Be stupid and dim. Be really slow and stupid.”
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
For that to happen, earnings won’t need to necessarily disappoint; rather, investors can choose to take a dimmer view on the immense corporate investment in AI-related data centers.
From MarketWatch ● May 3, 2026
The drop in sentiment mostly reflected dimmer short-term expectations, with many consumers staying more optimistic about longer-term prospects, Hsu said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
Still, I ordered one — I didn’t want to put a dimmer on his inner child indulgence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2026
“Roger had a joyful, luminous spirit, and the world is dimmer without him,” Bossert wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2026
As with the previous pair of pictures, many of the features visible by ordinary light were much dimmer in this one, and so were the curtains of radiance in the sky.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
A 6.5 magnitude is generally the dimmest object the human eye can see.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2024
Such demolitions typically cause a much brighter display and rarely last longer than a year, so it would have to be the longest and dimmest so far.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 17, 2024
A waning crescent moon — which is only 8% illuminated — will allow even the dimmest of shooting stars to shine this weekend.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 10, 2023
"The fantasy of two-all going to The Oval had been enchanting to both sets of fans; only the dimmest partisans so crave trophies as to be gratified by non-results," he wrote.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2023
Yet she had only the dimmest idea of who Goldstein was and what doctrines he was supposed to represent.
From "1984" by George Orwell
The economic progress dims hope for a nuclear deal with the U.S., since Washington has often dangled sanctions relief or economic incentives to get Pyongyang to freeze, halt or relinquish its nuclear program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Younger people have a generally sunnier starting point but that dims as they age - not a great surprise - and all age groups react to events similarly.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2026
And as if to literalize this, the Light Phone III even has a small clickable wheel on one side that brightens or dims the screen, and engages a flashlight if depressed.
From Slate ● Apr. 17, 2025
She’s so radiant that when Marina dims her wattage in a vain attempt to stay off the radar, we really feel the light in her go out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025
The day dims into evening, and evening fades into night, and an open window carries the symphony of laughter and cheerful voices into my room.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
"While the full impact from the fuel crisis will not be seen in the statistics until July, the likelihood of lasting crisis has significantly dimmed the growth prospects for the remaining part of the year."
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
But in March, night attacks and the lack of street lighting — lights are dimmed to make targeting more difficult — meant few stayed beyond midnight.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026
Yields rose a little on Wednesday with the 10-year Treasury yield hitting 4.4% as hopes for rate cuts dimmed.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
The mood in the crypto market has dimmed in the past year, with prices falling and a marquee bill to regulate the industry failing to gain traction in Congress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
Then they checked all the cages, dimmed the lights, locked the doors and went home, leaving us alone in the still laboratory.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
Reviving the dimming fortunes of the state’s oil industry could bring big opportunities for ConocoPhillips, Repsol, Exxon Mobil, Shell and other companies to expand into the state.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Their measurements showed a pattern consistent with the gradual dimming expected when light passes through a thin atmosphere.
From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026
The film, starring Ryan Gosling as a teacher-turned-astronaut who must save Earth from a dimming sun, has earned over $625 million worldwide, in an extended theatrical run.
From Barron's ● May 3, 2026
The tribe is now grappling with the sudden loss of jobs, along with the dimming of hope that the culturally sacred fish will be restored to their ancestral waters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026
The talent show starts at seven, and Nick and I arrive just as they're dimming the lights.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
