density

American  

[den-si-tee] / ˈdɛn sɪ ti /

noun

• densities
  plural

1. 

   the state or quality of being dense; compactness; closely set or crowded condition.

2. stupidity; slow-wittedness; obtuseness.

3. the number of inhabitants, dwellings, or the like, per unit area.

   The commissioner noted that the population density of certain city blocks had fallen dramatically.

4. Physics. mass per unit volume.

5. Electricity.

   1. the quantity of electricity per unit of volume at a point in space, or the quantity per unit of area at a point on a surface.

   2. current density.

6. the degree of opacity of a substance, medium, etc., that transmits light.

7. Photography. the relative degree of opacity of an area of a negative or transparency, often expressed logarithmically.

8. Computers. a measure of the compactness of data saved on a storage medium, as disk or tape, or displayed on an electronic screen.

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density British  

/ ˈdɛnsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the degree to which something is filled, crowded, or occupied

   high density of building in towns

2. obtuseness; stupidity

3. ρ. a measure of the compactness of a substance, expressed as its mass per unit volume. It is measured in kilograms per cubic metre or pounds per cubic foot See also relative density

4. a measure of a physical quantity per unit of length, area, or volume See charge density current density

5. physics photog See transmission density reflection density

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density Scientific  

/ dĕn′sĭ-tē /

1. A measure of the quantity of some physical property (usually mass) per unit length, area, or volume (usually volume).

2. ◆ Mass density is a measure of the mass of a substance per unit volume. Most substances (especially gases such as air) increase in density as their pressure is increases or as their temperature decreases.

3. ◆ Energy density is a measure of the amount of energy (often in the form of electromagnetic radiation) per unit volume in a region of space or some material.

4. See also Boyle's law

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density Cultural  

1. The relative heaviness of objects, measured in units of mass or weight per units of volume. (See specific gravity.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondensity
  noun
• superdensity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• densities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of density

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin dēnsitās, equivalent to dēns(us) dense + -itās -ity

Explanation

Density describes how compact or concentrated something is. For example, suppose you have two boxes, one large and one small. However, they both weigh the same. That means the small box has a higher density than the large box. Density also tells how concentrated or crowded something is. You may have heard of population density. In a city, there are many people packed into a small area, giving it a high population density. In a rural area, there are more fields or wooded areas between houses. That means there are fewer people living in a larger area, which is why it has a low population density.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

density densities

From the 1960s through the early 2000s, the density of microchips doubled roughly every two years, a phenomenon dubbed “Moore’s Law,” and the real price of computers fell roughly 15% per year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Hilton is saying build in new places, don’t force density.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Larger AI models and the data-intensive process of inference, or when AI models make predictions based on learned patterns, however, “increasingly prioritize density, performance, endurance and supply certainty over the lowest absolute price,” Cassidy said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

China offers competitive advantages in drug development: Its trial sites recruit patients faster, helped by a unified state health system, high patient density near major hospitals and digital recruitment tools, experts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

Foragers today live mainly in isolated and inhospitable areas such as the Arctic or the Kalahari, where population density is very low and opportunities to fight other people are limited.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Cwm Idwal Partnership Officer Rhys Wheldon-Roberts said monitoring was "really important because it allows us to graze in the right areas at the right densities and at the right time".

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

With characteristic densities near 10-6 Mpc-3, those objects would contribute substantially less to the observed signal.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

At extremely high densities, quantum effects can generate powerful pressure that prevents matter from being compressed without limit.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

According to the model, torsion becomes especially important at the extreme densities associated with the Planck scale.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026

Where population densities are high, as in regions occupied by states or chiefdoms, the defeated still have nowhere to flee, but the victors now have two options for exploiting them while leaving them alive.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• frequency
• quantity
• thickness