dense

[ dens ]

adjective

, dens·er, dens·est.

1. having the component parts closely compacted together; crowded or compact:

   a dense forest;

   dense population.

   Synonyms: impenetrable, teeming

2. stupid; slow-witted; dull.
3. intense; extreme:

   dense ignorance.

4. relatively opaque; transmitting little light, as a photographic negative, optical glass, or color.
5. difficult to understand or follow because of being closely packed with ideas or complexities of style:

   a dense philosophical essay.

6. Mathematics. of or relating to a subset of a topological space in which every neighborhood of every point in the space contains at least one point of the subset.

dense

/ dɛns /

adjective

1. thickly crowded or closely set

   a dense crowd

2. thick; impenetrable

   a dense fog

3. physics having a high density
4. stupid; dull; obtuse
5. (of a photographic negative) having many dark or exposed areas
6. (of an optical glass, colour, etc) transmitting little or no light

Derived Forms

• ˈdensely, adverb
• ˈdenseness, noun

Other Words From

• densely adverb
• denseness noun
• non·denseness noun
• super·dense adjective
• ultra·dense adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dense¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin dēnsus “thick”; cognate with Greek dasýs

Word History and Origins

Origin of dense¹

C15: from Latin densus thick; related to Greek dasus thickly covered with hair or leaves

Example Sentences

The song is typically dense with novelistic details about the early days of Lamar’s career — “Back when the only goal was to get Jay Rock through the door.”

From Los Angeles Times

The test was designed to operate seamlessly in Florida's varied and challenging environments, from dense Everglades habitats to urban areas where non-native constrictors are now found.

From Science Daily

A key Los Angeles City Council committee signed off on a sweeping rezoning plan Tuesday that would focus new market rate and affordable housing on commercial corridors and in existing dense residential neighborhoods.

From Los Angeles Times

Starting out in Igneada, in the north of the country, he walked along a slippery, uneven trail for half a day, through dense forest and sharp shrubbery in the direction of Bulgaria.

From BBC

SinoProbe II’s network will be twice as dense, with sensors placed 35 kilometers apart for higher resolution.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• heavy
• impenetrable
• opaque
• solid