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Definition of dim adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

dim

adjective
 
/dɪm/
 
/dɪm/
(comparative dimmer, superlative dimmest)
Idioms
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    light

  1. not bright
    • the dim glow of the fire in the grate
    • This light is too dim to read by.
    Extra Examples
    • A dim lamp swung in the entrance.
    • It was hard to see in the dim glow of the streetlights.
    • Owls' eyesight is good in dim light.
  2. place

  3. where you cannot see well because there is not much light
    • a dim room/street
    Extra Examples
    • The living room looked dim and shadowy.
    • The room was dim because the curtains were half drawn.
    • The room was very dim with a murky greenish light.
    • They stepped into the dim and cluttered little shop.
    • A voice came from the dim interior.
  4. shape

  5. that you cannot see well because there is not much light
    • the dim outline of a house in the moonlight
    • I could see a dim shape in the doorway.
  6. eyes

  7. not able to see well
    • His eyesight is getting dim.
  8. memories

  9. that you cannot remember or imagine clearly synonym vague
    • dim memories
    • She had a dim recollection of the visit.
    • (humorous) in the dim and distant past
  10. person

  11. (especially British English, informal) not intelligent
    • He's very dim.
    Extra Examples
    • She seems incredibly dim sometimes!
    • He was good-natured but rather dim.
    • She was a pleasant but rather dim young woman.
  12. situation

  13. not giving any reason to have hope; not good
    • Her future career prospects look dim.
  14. Word OriginOld English dim, dimm, of Germanic origin; related to German dialect timmer.
Idioms
take a dim view of somebody/something
  1. to think somebody/something is bad; to not have a good opinion of somebody/something
    • She took a dim view of my suggestion.
    Extra Examples
    • He takes a dim view of divorce.
    • My mother takes a pretty dim view of my cooking skills.
    Topics Opinion and argumentc2
See dim in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee dim in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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