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

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Etymology

Origin of density

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

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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

L.A. has long suffered an identity crisis, caught between the single-family homes of its past and the multifamily developments that density advocates say are needed for its future.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Others that did reliably advance—notably, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.—made less-enormous leaps in transistor density from generation to generation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Question 7 is “the type of measure that can lead to more construction,” he said, and would increase density.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

In 2007, Fradkin and his colleagues proposed another possible phase known as a pair density wave.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

The third option is that gravity is just right–"critical density" is the cosmologists’ term for it–and that it will hold the universe together at just the right dimensions to allow things to go on indefinitely.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

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

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

From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026

Researchers then combined measurements from telescopes around the world to determine the planets' sizes and masses, allowing them to calculate their exceptionally low densities.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 27, 2026

Astronomers have identified two of the fluffiest giant planets ever discovered, with densities so low they are actually less dense than cotton candy.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 27, 2026

The variations among Polynesian societies associated with different population densities and sizes were as follows.

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

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Related Words

• frequency
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