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dimness

dimness

4 3.4
Low light that makes it hard to see
  • noun
  • /ˈdɪmnəs/
translation icon : oscuridad
  • A blue flame burst up in the dimness, and Stanley moved toward it.

Examples

  • Her dark eyes penetrated the dimness of the moon-sprayed room.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Then suddenly, and without any warning... the sunshine breaks through the dimness and lights up everything.

  • After working all day in bright light, I find the dimness comforting.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • We hurried a few steps down the hall, then stopped, our eyes adjusting to the dimness.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Compared to the dimness of the hallway, the fluorescent lighting in the store seemed inordinately bright.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The tall, heavy door swung open into a dimness that smelled of incense and overripe fruit.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • But she says, "Bathroom's great," as cheerfully as possible, peeping warily into the dimness of the windowless room.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • After your eyes adjust to the dimness, you can see the details in the painting more clearly.

  • The dimness of the room made it difficult to read the book without additional light.

  • In the early morning, the dimness of the fog shrouded the landscape in mystery.

Synonyms

faintness
vsdimness
1 5.5

A weak quality that is hard to hear or see

is a broader low intensity, not limited to barely perceptible cases
dullness
vsdimness
1 2.2

A surface that is not bright or shiny

is wider, covering low clarity or intensity beyond just visual shine
subduedness
vsdimness
7.4

A soft, less bright quality in light or sound

is a broader state of low brightness, clarity, or intensity
duskiness
vsdimness
7.2

A low level of light, like at sunset

is similar but covers lack of intensity in light and other senses
obscureness
vsdimness
7.9

Darkness or low light that makes things hard to see

is about lacking brightness or intensity in general, not only unclear visibility

Antonyms

41 1.0

How much light something gives or how close it looks to white

How Bright

brightness
41 1.0
dullness
1 2.2
dimness
4 3.4
murkiness
1 5.9
darkness
534 1.0

Surface Forms

dimness singular
dimnesses plural

Morphology

dimness = dim (transparent) = dim + ness

Standard nominalization of the adjective 'dim' with '-ness'; the meaning is directly the state or quality of being dim.

Etymology

Dimness comes from the old English word dim, which means 'not bright' or 'dark', and you can think of a dimmer switch that makes a light weaker. So dimness is the condition of being 'not bright'.