This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
dense
[ dens ]
/ dɛns /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective, dens·er, dens·est.
having the component parts closely compacted together; crowded or compact: a dense forest; dense population.
stupid; slow-witted; dull.
intense; extreme: dense ignorance.
relatively opaque; transmitting little light, as a photographic negative, optical glass, or color.
difficult to understand or follow because of being closely packed with ideas or complexities of style: a dense philosophical essay.
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.
OTHER WORDS FOR dense
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of dense
1590–1600; <Latin dēnsus thick; cognate with Greek dasýs
OTHER WORDS FROM dense
Words nearby dense
denouement, denounce, de novo, Denpasar, dens, dense, densify, densimeter, densitometer, density, density function
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use dense in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for dense
dense
/ (dɛns) /
adjective
thickly crowded or closely seta dense crowd
thick; impenetrablea dense fog
physics having a high density
stupid; dull; obtuse
(of a photographic negative) having many dark or exposed areas
(of an optical glass, colour, etc) transmitting little or no light
Derived forms of dense
densely, adverbdenseness, nounWord Origin for dense
C15: from Latin densus thick; related to Greek dasus thickly covered with hair or leaves
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012