dim

[dim]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dim ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, dim·mer, dim·mest.

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.

verb (used with object), dimmed, dim·ming.

to make dim or dimmer.

to switch (the headlights of a vehicle) from the high to the low beam.

verb (used without object), dimmed, dim·ming.

to become or grow dim or dimmer.

Verb Phrases

dim out, (in wartime) to reduce the night illumination of (a city, ship, etc.) to make it less visible from the air or sea, as a protection from enemy aircraft or ships.

Idioms

take a dim view of, to regard with disapproval, skepticism, or dismay: Her mother takes a dim view of her choice of friends.

Origin of dim

before 1000; Middle English, Old English dim(me), cognate with Old Frisian dim, Old Norse dimmr

Related formsdim·ly, adverbdim·ma·ble, adjectivedim·ness, nounun·dim, adjectiveun·dim·ly, adverbun·dimmed, adjective

Synonyms for dim

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dim ON THESAURUS.COM

3. unclear, faint, indefinite, indistinct, fuzzy, hazy. 10. darken, cloud. 12. dull, fade.

Synonym study

1. See dark.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for dimmed

tarnish, eclipse, fade, blur, dull, cloud, lower, blear, muddy, bedim, haze, fog, becloud, obfuscate, pale, befog

Examples from the Web for dimmed

Contemporary Examples of dimmed

The dimmed lights and sizeable golden calf on the center of the conference table should tip you off.
‘Persecuted’ Is the Christian Right’s Paranoid Wet Dream
Candida Moss
July 22, 2014
He was like Norma Desmond up there, still craving the spotlight after the spotlight had long since been dimmed.
Did Chris Christie Turn a Blind Eye?
Michael Tomasky
January 10, 2014
Bush has been replaced by Barack Obama, who continues to garner international prestige even as his aura has dimmed at home.
After the Presidential Election, a Tough Road for Hugo Chávez
Mac Margolis
October 9, 2012
But unquestionably enthusiasm has dimmed; uninspired indecision has replaced hope of change.
Many 2008 Conservative Obama Backers, or ObamaCons, Will Stay True
John Avlon
September 4, 2012
But a couple of years in the spotlight, and his star has dimmed a little.
Michael Tomasky on Romney’s Veep and Convention-Speaker Trap
Michael Tomasky
July 17, 2012

Historical Examples of dimmed

And the mirror was dimmed with dust and overlaced with cobwebs.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
Then a cloud settled over his face and dimmed the delight in it.
Four Girls and a Compact
Annie Hamilton Donnell
Indeed, as she faced me to thank me I could see that her eyes were dimmed.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
And she, understanding, stood away and watched me with dimmed eyes.
The Prisoner of Zenda
Anthony Hope
The moonlight, which dimmed their radiance, made them look like pools of blood.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for dimmed

dim

adjective dimmer or dimmest

badly illuminateda dim room

not clearly seen; indistinct; fainta dim shape

having weak or indistinct visioneyes dim with tears

lacking in understanding; mentally dull

not clear in the mind; obscurea dim memory

lacking in brilliance, brightness, or lustrea dim colour

tending to be unfavourable; gloomy or disapproving (esp in the phrase take a dim view)

verb dims, dimming or dimmed

to become or cause to become dim

(tr) to cause to seem less bright, as by comparison

US and Canadian (tr) to switch (car headlights) from the main to the lower beamAlso called (in Britain and certain other countries): dip

Derived Formsdimly, adverbdimness, noun

Word Origin for dim

Old English dimm; related to Old Norse dimmr gloomy, dark

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

Word Origin and History for dimmed

dim

c.1200, perhaps in Old English, from dim (adj.). Related: Dimmed; dimming.

dim

adj.

Old English dimm "dark, gloomy, obscure," from Proto-Germanic *dimbaz (cf. Old Norse dimmr, Old Frisian dim, Old High German timber "dark, black, somber"). Not known outside Germanic. Slang sense of "stupid" is from 1892. Related: Dimly; dimness.

Idioms and Phrases with dimmed

dim

see take a dim view.