1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light
a dim, windowless room in the basement of the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in matte
lacking a surface luster or gloss
over time, exposure to ultraviolet light will make bright pigments turn dim
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vague
not seen or understood clearly
have only a dim knowledge of the subject
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in slow
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
our dog is kind of dim, but very sweet-natured
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to obscure
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
the storm clouds dimmed our view of the city from the airplane
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dim
Robert Lea, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2025
The lights in Carlson’s MCA exhibition are kept dim in an effort to conserve the art, and Carlson mentioned that institutions will loan her works on paper for only three months at a time to mitigate potential damage.
—Jeremy Lybarger, ARTnews.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Sachi Kitajima Mulkey / Grist, Popular Science, 30 Jan. 2025
This long-lasting powder foundation has a soft-matte formula that minimizes oiliness without dimming your skin’s natural glow.
—Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dim
Adjective
Also supporting the idea of obscuration of AGNs as the cause of little red dots is the fact that these ancient galaxies are dim in high-energy X-ray light.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2025
The lights in Carlson’s MCA exhibition are kept dim in an effort to conserve the art, and Carlson mentioned that institutions will loan her works on paper for only three months at a time to mitigate potential damage.
—Jeremy Lybarger, ARTnews.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
In 2020, the International Maritime Organization adopted a new rule to cut back on sulfur pollution from shipping fuel, but because the aerosol particles in emissions acted as a seed for clouds, the regulation had the unintended effect of dimming the marine layer of clouds that blanket the ocean.
—Sachi Kitajima Mulkey / Grist, Popular Science, 30 Jan. 2025
This long-lasting powder foundation has a soft-matte formula that minimizes oiliness without dimming your skin’s natural glow.
—Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dim
Adjective
-
In one snap, their son, Bronze smiled in the front seat of a mini, matte black Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
8 Jan. 2025
-
But unlike most matte lip products, this viral formula doesn't feel drying on the lips, courtesy of a whole host of skin-loving ingredients such as vitamin E, cotton seed oil, green tea oil and mango oil.—
Denise Primbet,
Glamour,
23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Asking about frustrations in a broad, theoretical sense is too vague to elicit actionable insights.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Forcing schools to teach only the views supported by the federal government amounts to a violation of free speech, the organizations say, and the directive is so vague that schools don’t know what practices cross the line.—
Collin Binkley,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Morgan Stanley also highlighted risks such as weaker consumption and a slower pace of enterprise digitalization.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
23 Feb. 2025
-
The cut is also gaining ground on the Adult Contemporary chart, only at a much slower pace, which is not unusual for that list.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
There is also no record of its business name on a database of online companies and its website is registered to a private domain in Holland, obscuring its true origin.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
15 Feb. 2025
-
The average obscures significant variation, though.—
Meg Wingerter,
The Denver Post,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
An open-wide view is way more important than a dark sky.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The fire broke out when the bus was on the corner of Cambridge and Northampton roads in the Cleveland area, filling the suburban street with a dark cloud of smoke.—
Kyla Guilfoil,
NBC News,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Her words hung in the air, jarring against the faint mariachi music coming through the patio speakers.—
Emily Baumgaertner Nunn,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Anyone who’s watched baseball on television in recent years will be familiar with the faint, rectangular box that appears in front of the batter.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
-
Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Verb
-
The clouds are still in sunlight while the ground is darkening after the Sun sets.—
Eric Berger,
Ars Technica,
12 Feb. 2025
-
The ice sheet has thinned and darkened since the early 1990’s, especially around its edges….—
Rob Crossan,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dim. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share