dense

[dens]

adjective

denser, densest 

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

Other Word Forms

• densely adverb
• denseness noun
• nondenseness noun
• superdense adjective
• ultradense 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

Flournoy’s stellar debut novel, 2015’s “The Turner House,” proved she could manage a wide cast of characters in a dense story about family and memory in declining Detroit.

From Los Angeles Times

Kini lies an hour outside of Merida in a dense tropical forest.

From Los Angeles Times

Due to the steep terrain and dense vegetation, rescuers had to extract Crosby using a litter and rope system, deputies said.

From Los Angeles Times

Authorities have had no sightings of Mr Freeman since he ran off after the shooting, and are focusing on "dense bush area" near his home.

From BBC

The DMZ border is not fenced and the signposts are obscured by dense vegetation.

From BBC

Related Words

• heavy 
• impenetrable 
• opaque 
• solid