dim

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dim

(dĭm)

adj. dim·mer, dim·mest

a. Lacking in brightness: a dim room.

b. Emitting only a small amount of light; faint: a dim light bulb. See Synonyms at dark.

2. Lacking luster; dull or subdued: dim, faded colors.

3. Faintly or unclearly perceived; indistinct: a dim figure in the distance; dim, far-off sounds.

4. Lacking sharpness or clarity; vague: a dim recollection; only a dim idea of how the machine worked.

5. Weak or diminished; feeble: dim eyesight; a dim hope.

6. Negative, unfavorable, or disapproving: a dim future in store; takes a dim view of gambling.

7. Dull or slow-witted: "[She] had always seemed rather dim and vacant" (Mary V. Dearborn).

tr. & intr.v. dimmed, dim·ming, dims

To make or become dim.

a. A parking light on a motor vehicle.

b. A low beam.

2. Archaic Dusk.

[Middle English, from Old English.]

dim′ly adv.

dim′ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

dim

(dɪm)

adj, dimmer or dimmest

1. badly illuminated: a dim room.

2. not clearly seen; indistinct; faint: a dim shape.

3. having weak or indistinct vision: eyes dim with tears.

4. lacking in understanding; mentally dull

5. not clear in the mind; obscure: a dim memory.

6. (Colours) lacking in brilliance, brightness, or lustre: a dim colour.

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

vb, dims, dimming or dimmed

8. to become or cause to become dim

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

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

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

ˈdimly adv

ˈdimness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

dim

(dɪm)

adj. dim•mer, dim•mest, adj.

1. not bright: a dim room; a dim light.

2. not seen or perceived clearly, distinctly, or in detail; faint: a dim outline.

3. not clear to the mind; vague: a dim idea.

4. not brilliant; dull in luster: a dim color.

5. not seeing clearly: eyes dim with tears.

6. not likely to happen, succeed, or be favorable: a dim chance of winning.

7. slow to understand; stupid.

v.t.

8. to make dim or dimmer.

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

v.i.

10. to become or grow dim or dimmer.

Idioms:

take a dim view of, to regard with disapproval or skepticism.

[before 1000; Middle English, Old English dim(me)]

dim′ly, adv.

dim′ma•ble, adj.

dim′ness, n.

dim.

1. dimension.

2. diminish.

3. diminuendo.

4. diminutive.

dim

Past participle: dimmed
Gerund: dimming

Imperative
dim
dim

Present
I dim
you dim
he/she/it dims
we dim
you dim
they dim

Preterite
I dimmed
you dimmed
he/she/it dimmed
we dimmed
you dimmed
they dimmed

Present Continuous
I am dimming
you are dimming
he/she/it is dimming
we are dimming
you are dimming
they are dimming

Present Perfect
I have dimmed
you have dimmed
he/she/it has dimmed
we have dimmed
you have dimmed
they have dimmed

Past Continuous
I was dimming
you were dimming
he/she/it was dimming
we were dimming
you were dimming
they were dimming

Past Perfect
I had dimmed
you had dimmed
he/she/it had dimmed
we had dimmed
you had dimmed
they had dimmed

Future
I will dim
you will dim
he/she/it will dim
we will dim
you will dim
they will dim

Future Perfect
I will have dimmed
you will have dimmed
he/she/it will have dimmed
we will have dimmed
you will have dimmed
they will have dimmed

Future Continuous
I will be dimming
you will be dimming
he/she/it will be dimming
we will be dimming
you will be dimming
they will be dimming

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been dimming
you have been dimming
he/she/it has been dimming
we have been dimming
you have been dimming
they have been dimming

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been dimming
you will have been dimming
he/she/it will have been dimming
we will have been dimming
you will have been dimming
they will have been dimming

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been dimming
you had been dimming
he/she/it had been dimming
we had been dimming
you had been dimming
they had been dimming

Conditional
I would dim
you would dim
he/she/it would dim
we would dim
you would dim
they would dim

Past Conditional
I would have dimmed
you would have dimmed
he/she/it would have dimmed
we would have dimmed
you would have dimmed
they would have dimmed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	dim - switch (a car's headlights) from a higher to a lower beam dip change intensity - increase or decrease in intensity
	2.	dim - become dim or lusterless; "the lights dimmed and the curtain rose" change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night"
	3.	dim - make dim or lusterless; "Time had dimmed the silver" darken - make dark or darker; "darken a room"
	4.	dim - make dim by comparison or conceal blind darken - make dark or darker; "darken a room"
	5.	dim - become vague or indistinct; "The distinction between the two theories blurred" slur, blur weaken - become weaker; "The prisoner's resistance weakened after seven days" efface, obliterate - remove completely from recognition or memory; "efface the memory of the time in the camps"
Adj.	1.	dim - lacking in light; not bright or harsh; "a dim light beside the bed"; "subdued lights and soft music" subdued dark - devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black; "sitting in a dark corner"; "a dark day"; "dark shadows"; "dark as the inside of a black cat"
	2.	dim - lacking clarity or distinctness; "a dim figure in the distance"; "only a faint recollection"; "shadowy figures in the gloom"; "saw a vague outline of a building through the fog"; "a few wispy memories of childhood" faint, shadowy, wispy, vague indistinct - not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand; "indistinct shapes in the gloom"; "an indistinct memory"; "only indistinct notions of what to do"
	3.	dim - made dim or less bright; "the dimmed houselights brought a hush of anticipation"; "dimmed headlights"; "we like dimmed lights when we have dinner" dimmed
	4.	dim - offering little or no hope; "the future looked black"; "prospects were bleak"; "Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult"- J.M.Synge; "took a dim view of things" bleak, black hopeless - without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success; "in an agony of hopeless grief"; "with a hopeless sigh he sat down"
	5.	dim - slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; "so dense he never understands anything I say to him"; "never met anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick"- Thackeray; "dumb officials make some really dumb decisions"; "he was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse"; "worked with the slow students" dumb, slow, obtuse, dense, dull stupid - lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity

dim

adjective

1. dull, weak, pale, muted, subdued, feeble, murky, opaque, dingy, subfusc She stood waiting in the dim light.

2. poorly lit, dark, gloomy, murky, shady, shadowy, dusky, crepuscular, darkish, tenebrous, unilluminated, caliginous (archaic) The room was dim and cool and quiet.

3. cloudy, grey, gloomy, dismal, murky, overcast, leaden a dim February day
cloudy clear, fair, bright, pleasant, sunny, cloudless, limpid, unclouded

4. unclear, obscured, faint, blurred, fuzzy, shadowy, hazy, indistinguishable, bleary, undefined, out of focus, ill-defined, indistinct, indiscernible His torch picked out the dim figures.
unclear clear, distinct, sharp

5. obscure, remote, vague, confused, shadowy, imperfect, hazy, sketchy, intangible, indistinct The era of social activism is all but a dim memory.

6. unfavourable, bad, black, depressing, discouraging, gloomy, dismal, sombre, unpromising, dispiriting, disheartening The prospects for a peaceful solution are dim.

7. stupid (Informal) slow, thick, dull, dense, dumb (informal), daft (informal), dozy (Brit. informal), obtuse, unintelligent, asinine, slow on the uptake (informal), braindead (informal), doltish She's not as dim as she seems.
stupid bright, aware, sharp, keen, acute, smart, clever, intelligent, astute, brainy, quick-witted

verb

1. turn down, lower, fade, dip, dull, soften, subdue, bedim, make less bright Dim the overhead lights.

2. grow or become faint, fade, dull, grow or become dim The houselights dimmed.

3. darken, dull, blacken, cloud over, grow dark, become leaden The dusk sky dims to a chilly indigo.

4. diminish, decline, dwindle, wane, recede, subside, ebb, die out, fade away, shrivel, peter out, slacken Their economic prospects have dimmed.

5. fade, fail, disappear, dissolve, melt away, die away Their memory of what happened has dimmed.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

dim

adjective

1. Deficient in brightness:

caliginous, dark, dusky, murky, obscure.

2. Lacking vividness in color:

drab, dull, flat, muddy, murky.

3. Lacking gloss and luster:

dull, flat, lackluster, lusterless, mat.

4. Covered by or as if by a thin coating or film:

blurry, cloudy, filmy, hazy, misty.

5. Not clearly perceived or perceptible:

blear, bleary, cloudy, faint, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, misty, obscure, shadowy, unclear, undistinct, vague.

verb

1. To make dim or indistinct:

becloud, bedim, befog, blear, blur, cloud, dull, eclipse, fog, gloom, mist, obfuscate, obscure, overcast, overshadow, shadow.

2. To make or become less keen or responsive:

dull, hebetate, stupefy.

Translations

باهِتبَليد، غَيْر ذَكيمُعْتِم، خافِت، غَيْر واضِحيُخَفِّف الضّوء، يَعْتِم

hloupýkalnýmatnýpohasnouttlumený

dæmpetdumsløresvagtungnem

abblenden dämmerig schwer von Begriff trübe trüben

αμυδρός θολός μουντός

tenue atenuar borrar borroso débil

hämärä

borné brouiller faible foncer obscur

mračan

ködös

deyfa, depra, lækkaóljós, òokukenndursljór

abbassare fioco offuscare semibuio stupido

薄暗い

희미한

apsiblaustiblausiaiblausumasblaususmiglotai

aprobežotsaptumšotAsaras aizmigloja acisblāvsneskaidrs

schemerig

dempet gjøre svak gjøre uklar sløre treg

przyćmiony

escuro

тусклый

zakaliť

zasenčenzasenčiti

dunkel

สลัว

loşloşlaştırmakaptal donukışığı kısmak

mờ

暗淡的朦胧的迟钝的使变暗淡

dim

[dɪm]

A. ADJ (dimmer (compar) (dimmest (superl)))

1. (= not bright) [light] → débil, tenue; [room] → oscuro, poco iluminado
she read the letter by the dim light of a torch → leyó la carta con la ayuda de la débil or tenue luz de una linterna
even in the dim light the furniture looked dirty → incluso con la poca luz que había los muebles parecían sucios
her eyes were dim with tears → sus ojos estaban nublados por las lágrimas
to grow dim [light] → atenuarse, ir atenuándose; [room] → oscurecer, ir oscureciendo
his eyes had grown dim with age (liter) → su vista se había ido debilitando con la edad

2. (= indistinct) [figure, shape, outline] → borroso; [memory] → borroso, vago
in the dim and distant past → en un pasado muy remoto

3. (= gloomy) [prospects] → poco prometedor
to take a dim view of sth → ver algo con malos ojos

4. (= unintelligent) → corto, lerdo
he's a bit dim → es un poco corto, no tiene muchas luces

B. VT

1. (= make less bright) [+ light] → bajar, atenuar; [+ room] → oscurecer; [+ colours] → apagar; [+ metals] → deslucir, deslustrar; [+ eyesight] → debilitar
to dim the lights (in room, theatre) → bajar or atenuar la luz
to dim one's (head)lights → poner las luces cortas or de cruce → poner las luces bajas (LAm)
she looked at him through eyes dimmed by tears → lo miró con los ojos nublados por las lágrimas

2. (= dampen, diminish) [+ hopes] → hacer perder, empañar (liter); [+ senses] → debilitar
the passing years had not dimmed her beauty → el paso de los años no había marchitado su belleza
to dim sb's spirits → desanimar a algn, desalentar a algn

3. (= fade) [+ outline, memory] → borrar

C. VI

1. (= become less bright) [light] → atenuarse, ir atenuándose; [metal] → deslucirse, ir desluciéndose; [colour] → apagarse, ir apagándose; [eyesight] → debilitarse, ir debilitándose

2. (= diminish) [hopes] → ir perdiéndose, ir empañándose (liter); [beauty] → marchitarse, ir marchitándose

3. (= fade) [outline, memory] → hacerse borroso

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

dim

[ˈdɪm]

adj

[light, eyesight] → faible
to grow dim → baisser, décliner

(= dimly lit) [room] → sombre

[memory, outline] → vague, indécis(e)

(= stupid) → borné(e), bouché(e)

(= poor) [prospects] → sombre

to take a dim view of sth → voir qch d'un mauvais œil

[+ light] → réduire, baisser

(US) [+ headlights] → mettre en code
to dim one's lights (headlights) → se mettre en code

vi (= grow dim) [light] → baisser

dim

adj (+er)

(= not bright) light, lamp → schwach, trüb; metal → matt, glanzlos; (= badly lit) room → dämmerig, dunkel; the room grew dim → im Zimmer wurde es dunkel

(= vague) figure, shape → undeutlich; outline → schwach, undeutlich; memory, recollection → dunkel; I have a dim memory or recollection of it → ich erinnere mich nur (noch) dunkel daran; to have a dim awareness of something → sich (dat) → einer Sache (gen) → nur undeutlich bewusst sein

(= gloomy) prospects, outlook → schlecht; it’s a dim lookout for him → es sieht sehr schlecht für ihn aus; to take a dim view of something → mit etw gar nicht einverstanden sein

(inf: = stupid) → beschränkt (inf), → schwer von Begriff (inf)

(liter) eyes → trüb (liter)

(= turn down) light → dämpfen; lamp → verdunkeln; to dim the lights (Theat) → das Licht langsam ausgehen lassen; to dim one’s headlights (esp US) → abblenden

(= make dull) colour → dämpfen, decken; sound → dämpfen; metal → mattieren; sight, mind, senses, memory → trüben; beauty → verblassen lassen; glory → beeinträchtigen

(light) → schwach or trübe werden; (lamp) → verlöschen, dunkler werden

(= become dull, colour) → gedämpft or matter werden; (sound) → leiser werden; (metal) → mattiert werden; (memory) → nachlassen; (beauty) → verblassen; (glory) → verblassen, vergehen; (sight) → nachlassen, getrübt werden

dim

dimwit

n (inf) → Schwachkopf m (inf)

dim-witted

adj (inf) → blöd (inf), → dämlich (inf), → beschrämkt (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

dim

[dɪm]

1. adj (-mer (comp) (-mest (superl))) (light) → debole, fioco/a; (sight) → debole; (forest) → oscuro/a; (room) → in penombra; (shape, outline, memory, sound) → indistinto/a, vago/a (fam) (person) → tonto/a, ottuso/a
to grow dim (light) → affievolirsi (eyesight) → indebolirsi
to take a dim view of sth (fam) → non vedere qc di buon occhio

2. vt (light) → abbassare (Am) (headlights) → abbassare; (sound, memory, colour) → affievolire; (shape, outline, beauty, glory) → offuscare; (sight, senses) → annebbiare; (metal) → annerire

3. vi (light, sight, memory) → affievolirsi; (outline) → divenire indistinto/a

dim

(dim) adjective

1. not bright or distinct. a dim light in the distance; a dim memory.

2. (of a person) not intelligent. She's a bit dim!

verb – past tense, past participle dimmed –

to make or become dim. Tears dimmed her eyes; He dimmed the lights in the theatre.

ˈdimly adverb

ˈdimness noun

dim

→ باهِت tlumený dæmpet dämmerig μουντός tenue hämärä terne mračan fioco 薄暗い 희미한 schemerig uklar przyćmiony escuro тусклый dunkel สลัว loş mờ 暗淡的

dim

a. débil, mortecino-a; confuso-a; opaco-a.

dim

adj (comp dimmer; super dimmest) oscuro, indistinto

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References in classic literature ?

The skies they were ashen and sober; The leaves they were crisped and sere -- The leaves they were withering and sere; It was night in the lonesome October Of my most immemorial year: It was hard by the dim lake of Auber, In the misty mid region of Weir: -- It was down by the dank tarn of Auber, In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.

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"Since this morning - it must have been: the cold dim dawn of to- day.

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Fair is the pine grove and the mountain stream That gathers to the valley far below, The black-winged junks on the dim sea reach, adream, The pale blue firmament o'er banks of snow.

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I made out some dim forms, and a woman started up from the ground and stared at me, as one does who is wakened from sleep.

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The dim suggestion of the laboratory seemed presently to fall away from me, and I saw the sun hopping swiftly across the sky, leaping it every minute, and every minute marking a day.

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D' and E', will not be NOT SO DIM as the extremities of the Merchant.

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Our lives, our tears, as water, Are spilled upon the ground; God giveth no man quarter, Yet God a means hath found; Though faith and hope have vanished, And even love grows dim; A means whereby His banished Be not expelled from Him!

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It was still quite light out of doors, but inside with the curtains drawn and the smouldering fire sending out a dim, uncertain glow, the room was full of deep shadows.

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Moving on, I at last came to a dim sort of light not far from the docks, and heard a forlorn creaking in the air; and looking up, saw a swinging sign over the door with a white painting upon it, faintly representing a tall straight jet of misty spray, and these words underneath -- The Spouter-Inn: --Peter Coffin.

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It was getting pretty dim by the time we turned the corner of the woods, sweating and panting with that long run, and see the sycamores thirty yards ahead of us; and just then we see a couple of men run into the bunch and heard two or three terrible screams for help.

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It was too far to see any details; it seemed to me then simply a low-lying patch of dim blue in the uncertain blue-grey sea.

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Dim and wonderful is the vision I have conjured up in my mind of life spreading slowly from this little seed bed of the solar system throughout the inanimate vastness of sidereal space.

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