adjective
dim
dihm
adjective
1
Giving off or showing very little light; not bright.
"The restaurant had a dim, romantic glow from candlelight."
"Streetlights left the alley dim at night."
2
Not very intelligent or quick-witted.
"He felt dim for forgetting such an obvious answer."
3
Unclear, faint, or hard to make out.
"She had only a dim memory of the accident."
verb
1
To make something less bright, or to become less bright.
"He dimmed the lights before the movie started."
"The streetlamp flickered and slowly dimmed."
How to Use Dim
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishNot very bright — whether that's a light, a memory, or, informally, a person's intelligence.
Common mistake
The phrase "take a dim view of" means to disapprove of something, not literally to see it poorly.
Common pairings
dim light
dim memory
dim the lights
take a dim view
Word Forms
dimmer comparative, dimmed past tense, dims singular, dimmest superlative
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The restaurant had a _____, romantic glow from candlelight.
Etymology
From Old English "dimm" ("dark, gloomy"), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "dark".