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dense

/dens/  ·  say it: dens

closely packed together

In Describing & Comparing

In more detail

1. (adjective) closely packed together with little empty space

2. (adjective) difficult to understand; complicated

3. (adjective) thick and hard to see through

Examples

• 1. The forest was so dense that sunlight barely reached the ground.
• 2. This physics textbook is very dense and hard to follow.
• 3. Dense fog made driving dangerous.

How to use dense

Dense is used to describe both physical compactness (dense vegetation, dense matter) and intellectual difficulty (dense writing, dense argument). The physical sense emphasizes little empty space; the intellectual sense suggests complexity requiring careful attention. It is more formal and precise than 'thick' in many contexts.

Common phrases

• dense forest
• dense fog
• dense population
• dense prose
• dense traffic
• dense material

Synonyms

thick · compact · concentrated · tightly packed · impenetrable

Opposites

sparse · thin · dispersed

Word family

density · densely · denseness

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use 'dense' as a synonym for 'stupid' (a slang usage) in formal or academic contexts, where it is inappropriate; 'dense' as an adjective describing material or text is standard, but calling a person 'dense' to mean unintelligent is informal and potentially offensive.

Nearby in Describing & Comparing

meager, abundant, sparse, myriad, solitary, uniform

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained