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dimly

 [dim]   Origin

dim

   [dim] adjective, dim·mer, dim·mest, verb, dimmed, dim·ming.
adjective
1.
not bright; obscure from lack of light or emitted light: a dim room; a dim flashlight.
2.
not seen clearly or in detail; indistinct: a dim object in the distance.
3.
not clear to the mind; vague: a dim idea.
4.
not brilliant; dull in luster: a dim color.
5.
not clear or distinct to the senses; faint: a dim sound.
EXPAND
6.
not seeing clearly: eyes dim with tears.
7.
tending to be unfavorable; not likely to happen, succeed, be favorable, etc.: a dim chance of winning.
8.
not understanding clearly.
9.
rather stupid; dim-witted.
COLLAPSE
verb (used with object)
10.
to make dim or dimmer.
11.
to switch (the headlights of a vehicle) from the high to the low beam.

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Dimly is always a great word to know.
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a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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verb (used without object)
12.
to become or grow dim or dimmer.
Verb phrase
13.
dim out, (in wartime) to reduce the night illumination of (a city, ship, etc.) to make it less visible from the air or sea, as a protection from enemy aircraft or ships.
Idiom
14.
take a dim view of, to regard with disapproval, skepticism, or dismay: Her mother takes a dim view of her choice of friends.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English, Old English dim(me), cognate with Old Frisian dim, Old Norse dimmr

Related forms
dim·ly, adverb
dim·ma·ble, adjective
dim·ness, noun
un·dim, adjective
un·dim·ly, adverb
EXPAND
un·dimmed, adjective
COLLAPSE

Synonyms
1. See dark. 3. unclear, faint, indefinite, indistinct, fuzzy, hazy. 10. darken, cloud. 12. dull, fade.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
dim (dɪm)
 
—adj , dimmer, 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.  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 , dimmer, dimmest, dims, dimming, dimmed
8.  to become or cause to become dim
9.  (tr) to cause to seem less bright, as by comparison
10.  (US), (Canadian) (tr) Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): dip to switch (car headlights) from the main to the lower beam
 
[Old English dimm; related to Old Norse dimmr gloomy, dark]
 
'dimly
 
—adv
 
'dimness
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

dim
O.E. dimm "dark, gloomy, obscure," from P.Gmc. *dimbaz. Not known outside Germanic. Slang sense of "stupid" is from 1892. The verb was also in O.E. Related: Dimly; dimmed.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

dim definition


  1. n.
    the evening; the night. (Streets.) : Where'll you be this dim?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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