dim

Giving little light, or having colours that are not strong or clear.

• The light is dim.
• We ate dinner in a dim room.
• The painting’s dim colours were hard to see from a distance.

Similar words: faint, muted

Opposites: bright

Common phrases: dim light, dim room

Difficult to see clearly or remember well.

• I have a dim memory of that day.
• A dim outline appeared through the fog.
• His vision became dim after the injury.

Similar words: unclear, faint, vague

Opposites: clear

Common phrases: dim memory, dim outline, dim recollection

A person described this way is slow to understand things.

• He is a bit dim.
• She thought the new assistant was rather dim.
• Was I being dim when I missed the joke?

Similar words: slow, stupid

Opposites: clever, intelligent

Common phrases: a bit dim, rather dim

If you do this to a light, you make it less bright.

• Please dim the lights.
• She dimmed the screen before bed.
• Can you dim that lamp a little?

Opposites: brighten

Common phrases: dim the lights, dim the screen, dim a lamp

If a light does this, it becomes less bright.

• The lights began to dim.
• The fire dimmed as the wood burned away.
• We watched the evening sky dim.

Similar words: fade

Opposites: brighten

Common phrases: lights dim, flames dim, begin to dim

To make a feeling, quality, or chance weaker.

• The delay dimmed our hopes.
• Several defeats have dimmed their confidence.
• Nothing could dim her enthusiasm for the project.

Similar words: weaken, dampen, diminish

Opposites: strengthen

Common phrases: dim someone’s hopes, dim the prospects, dim someone’s enthusiasm