noun
- A rheostat that varies the current through an electric light in order to control the level of illumination.
adjective
- Lacking in light; not bright or harsh.
- usage: "a dim light beside the bed"; "subdued lights and soft music"
- Lacking clarity or distinctness.
- usage: "a dim figure in the distance"; "only a faint recollection"; "shadowy figures in the gloom"; "saw a vague outline of a building through the fog"; "a few wispy memories of childhood"
- Made dim or less bright.
- usage: "the dimmed houselights brought a hush of anticipation"; "dimmed headlights"; "we like dimmed lights when we have dinner"
- Offering little or no hope.
- usage: "the future looked black"; "prospects were bleak"; "Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult- J. M. Synge; "took a dim view of things"
- Slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity.
- usage: "so dense he never understands anything I say to him"; "never met anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick- Thackeray; "dumb officials make some really dumb decisions"; "he was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse"; "worked with the slow students"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). dimmer. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/dimmer/definitions/1203364 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "dimmer" http://smartdefine.org/dimmer/definitions/1203364 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, dimmer, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/dimmer/definitions/1203364>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "dimmer" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/dimmer/definitions/1203364> |