From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
dim
adj 1: lacking in light; not bright or harsh; "a dim light beside
the bed"; "subdued lights and soft music" [syn:
subdued]
2: lacking clarity or distinctness; "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" [syn:
faint, shadowy, vague, wispy]
3: made dim or less bright; "the dimmed houselights brought a
hush of anticipation"; "dimmed headlights"; "we like
dimmed lights when we have dinner" [syn: dimmed] [ant:
undimmed]
4: offering little or no hope; "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" [syn: black, bleak]
5: slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity;
"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"
[syn: dense, dull, dumb, obtuse, slow]
v 1: switch (a car's headlights) from a higher to a lower beam
[syn: dip]
2: become or make darker; "The screen darkend"; "He darkened
the colors by adding brown" [syn: darken] [ant:
brighten]
3: become dim or lusterless; "the lights dimmed and the curtain
rose"
4: make dim or lusterless; "Time had dimmed the silver"
5: make dim by comparison or conceal [syn: blind]
6: become vague or indistinct; "The distinction between the two
theories blurred" [syn: blur, slur] [ant: focus]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Dim \Dim\, a. [Compar. Dimmer; superl. Dimmest.] [AS. dim;
akin to OFries. dim, Icel. dimmr: cf. MHG. timmer, timber; of
uncertain origin.]
1. Not bright or distinct; wanting luminousness or clearness;
obscure in luster or sound; dusky; darkish; obscure;
indistinct; overcast; tarnished.
[1913 Webster]
The dim magnificence of poetry. --Whewell.
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How is the gold become dim! --Lam. iv. 1.
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I never saw
The heavens so dim by day. --Shak.
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Three sleepless nights I passed in sounding on,
Through words and things, a dim and perilous way.
--Wordsworth.
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2. Of obscure vision; not seeing clearly; hence, dull of
apprehension; of weak perception; obtuse.
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Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow. --Job
xvii. 7.
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The understanding is dim. --Rogers.
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Note: Obvious compounds: dim-eyed; dim-sighted, etc.
Syn: Obscure; dusky; dark; mysterious; imperfect; dull;
sullied; tarnished.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Dim \Dim\, v. i.
To grow dim. --J. C. Shairp.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Dim \Dim\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dimmed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Dimming.]
1. To render dim, obscure, or dark; to make less bright or
distinct; to take away the luster of; to darken; to dull;
to obscure; to eclipse.
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A king among his courtiers, who dims all his
attendants. --Dryden.
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Now set the sun, and twilight dimmed the ways.
--Cowper.
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2. To deprive of distinct vision; to hinder from seeing
clearly, either by dazzling or clouding the eyes; to
darken the senses or understanding of.
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Her starry eyes were dimmed with streaming tears.
--C. Pitt.
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From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 Sep 2003) [foldoc]:
DIM
DIM statement