dense Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter
    heavy; impenetrable.
    • dense smoke
    • heavy fog
    • impenetrable gloom
  2. adjective satellite hard to pass through because of dense growth
    thick.
    • dense vegetation
    • thick woods
  3. adjective satellite having high relative density or specific gravity
    • dense as lead
  4. adjective satellite slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
    dim; slow; dumb; obtuse; dull.
    • 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

Dense adjective
Etymology
L. densus; akin to Gr. thick with hair or leaves: cf. F. dense.
Definitions
  1. Having the constituent parts massed or crowded together; close; compact; thick; containing much matter in a small space; heavy; opaque; as, a dense crowd; a dense forest; a dense fog.
    All sorts of bodies, firm and fluid, dense and rare. Ray.
    To replace the cloudy barrier dense. Cowper.
  2. Stupid; gross; crass; as, dense ignorance.

Webster 1913