dense

[dens]

adjective

denser, densest 

1. having the component parts closely compacted together; crowded or compact.

   a dense forest;

   dense population.

   Synonyms: impenetrable, teeming

2. stupid; slow-witted; dull.

3. intense; extreme.

   dense ignorance.

4. relatively opaque; transmitting little light, as a photographic negative, optical glass, or color.

5. difficult to understand or follow because of being closely packed with ideas or complexities of style.

   a dense philosophical essay.

6. Mathematics.,  of or relating to a subset of a topological space in which every neighborhood of every point in the space contains at least one point of the subset.

dense

/ dɛns /

adjective

1. thickly crowded or closely set

   a dense crowd

2. thick; impenetrable

   a dense fog

3. physics having a high density

4. stupid; dull; obtuse

5. (of a photographic negative) having many dark or exposed areas

6. (of an optical glass, colour, etc) transmitting little or no light

Other Word Forms

• densely adverb
• denseness noun
• nondenseness noun
• superdense adjective
• ultradense adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dense¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin dēnsus “thick”; cognate with Greek dasýs

Word History and Origins

Origin of dense¹

C15: from Latin densus thick; related to Greek dasus thickly covered with hair or leaves

Example Sentences

After 5–10 of these “growth cycles,” the remaining hydrogel is removed through heating, leaving behind a dense metal or ceramic object that precisely matches the shape of the original printed gel.

Read more on Science Daily

The layer of dust was so dense that it made the star appear over 100 times dimmer in visible light than it would otherwise look.

Read more on Science Daily

The blaze, which firefighters had said was contained hours later, smoldered underground in dense vegetation for days until powerful winds on Jan. 7 caused it to spread, authorities said.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

“That whole area is dense with a lot of the things that needed to reformulate,” Morris said.

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But investigators determined that during the Lachman fire, a firebrand became seated within the dense vegetation, continuing to smolder and burn within the roots underground.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• heavy 
• impenetrable 
• opaque 
• solid