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

With dense fog and transculent pink lights, the whole set started to fuse into a unifying dreamy moment.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Without thoughtful intervention, these dense seaweed mats could gradually undermine hatchling survival and long-term conservation efforts.

Read more on Science Daily

Archer Aviation is building electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOL, to shuttle small groups over dense urban areas.

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His prose is often dense, his judgment severe.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The area, not far from Black Rock Campground, is one of the park’s densest Joshua tree woodlands.

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Related Words

• heavy 
• impenetrable 
• opaque 
• solid