Dim vs. Obscure — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Dim and Obscure
ADVERTISEMENT
Compare with Definitions
Dim
Lacking in brightness
A dim room.
Obscure
Deficient in light; dark
The obscure depths of a cave.
Dim
Emitting only a small amount of light; faint
A dim light bulb.
Obscure
So faintly perceptible as to lack clear delineation; indistinct
An obscure figure in the fog.
Dim
Lacking luster; dull or subdued
Dim, faded colors.
ADVERTISEMENT
Obscure
Indistinctly heard; faint.
Dim
Faintly or unclearly perceived; indistinct
A dim figure in the distance.
Dim, far-off sounds.
Obscure
(Linguistics) Having the reduced, neutral sound represented by schwa (ə).
Dim
Lacking sharpness or clarity; vague
A dim recollection.
Only a dim idea of how the machine worked.
Obscure
Far from centers of human population
An obscure village.
Dim
Weak or diminished; feeble
Dim eyesight.
A dim hope.
Obscure
Out of sight; hidden
An obscure retreat.
Dim
Negative, unfavorable, or disapproving
A dim future in store.
Takes a dim view of gambling.
Obscure
Not readily noticed or seen; inconspicuous
An obscure flaw.
Dim
Dull or slow-witted
"[She] had always seemed rather dim and vacant" (Mary V. Dearborn).
Obscure
Of undistinguished or humble station or reputation
An obscure poet.
An obscure family.
Dim
To make or become dim.
Obscure
Not clearly understood or expressed; ambiguous or vague
Some say that Blake's style is obscure and complex.
Dim
A parking light on a motor vehicle.
Obscure
To make dim, indistinct, or impossible to see
"His face was obscured in shadow" (Rosemary Mahoney).
Dim
A low beam.
Obscure
To make difficult to discern mentally or understand
The meaning of the text was obscured by its difficult language.
Dim
(Archaic) Dusk.
Obscure
To diminish the stature of; overshadow or detract from
"[His] character was so repellent that it has obscured his historical role" (David Rains Wallace).
Dim
Not bright or colorful.
The lighting was too dim for me to make out his facial features.
Obscure
(Linguistics) To reduce (a vowel) to the neutral sound represented by schwa (ə).
Dim
(colloquial) Not smart or intelligent.
He may be a bit dim, but he's not entirely stupid.
Obscure
Something obscure or unknown.
Dim
Indistinct, hazy or unclear.
His vision grew dimmer as he aged.
Obscure
Dark, faint or indistinct.
Dim
Disapproving, unfavorable: rarely used outside the phrase take a dim view of.
Obscure
Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous.
Dim
(archaic) Dimness.
Obscure
Difficult to understand.
An obscure passage or inscription;
The speaker made obscure references to little-known literary works.
Dim
(transitive) To make something less bright.
He dimmed the lights and put on soft music.
Obscure
Not well-known.
Dim
(intransitive) To become darker.
The lights dimmed briefly when the air conditioning was turned on.
Obscure
Unknown or uncertain; unclear.
The etymological roots of the word "blizzard" are obscure and open to debate.
Dim
To render dim, obscure, or dark; to make less bright or distinct
Obscure
(transitive) To render obscure; to darken; to make dim; to keep in the dark; to hide; to make less visible, intelligible, legible, glorious, beautiful, or illustrious.
Dim
To deprive of distinct vision; to hinder from seeing clearly, either by dazzling or clouding the eyes; to darken the senses or understanding of.
Obscure
(transitive) To hide, put out of sight etc.
Dim
Not bright or distinct; wanting luminousness or clearness; obscure in luster or sound; dusky; darkish; obscure; indistinct; overcast; tarnished.
The dim magnificence of poetry.
How is the gold become dim!
I never sawThe heavens so dim by day.
Three sleepless nights I passed in sounding on,Through words and things, a dim and perilous way.
Obscure
To conceal oneself; to hide.
Dim
Of obscure vision; not seeing clearly; hence, dull of apprehension; of weak perception; obtuse.
Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow.
The understanding is dim.
Obscure
Covered over, shaded, or darkened; destitute of light; imperfectly illuminated; dusky; dim.
His lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.
Dim
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.
A king among his courtiers, who dims all his attendants.
Now set the sun, and twilight dimmed the ways.
Obscure
Of or pertaining to darkness or night; inconspicuous to the sight; indistinctly seen; hidden; retired; remote from observation; unnoticed.
The obscure birdClamored the livelong night.
The obscure corners of the earth.
Dim
To deprive of distinct vision; to hinder from seeing clearly, either by dazzling or clouding the eyes; to darken the senses or understanding of.
Her starry eyes were dimmed with streaming tears.
Obscure
Not noticeable; humble; mean.
Dim
To grow dim.
Obscure
Not easily understood; not clear or legible; abstruse or incomprehensible; as, an obscure passage or inscription.
Dim
Switch (a car's headlights) from a higher to a lower beam
Obscure
Not clear, full, or distinct; clouded; imperfect; as, an obscure view of remote objects.
Dim
Become or make darker;
The screen darkend
He darkened the colors by adding brown
Obscure
To render obscure; to darken; to make dim; to keep in the dark; to hide; to make less visible, intelligible, legible, glorious, beautiful, or illustrious.
They are all couched in a pit hard by Herne's oak, with obscured lights.
Why, 't is an office of discovery, love,And I should be obscured.
There is scarce any duty which has been so obscured by the writings of learned men as this.
And seest not sin obscures thy godlike frame?
Dim
Become dim or lusterless;
The lights dimmed and the curtain rose
Obscure
To conceal one's self; to hide; to keep dark.
How! There's bad news.I must obscure, and hear it.
Dim
Make dim or lusterless;
Time had dimmed the silver
Obscure
Obscurity.
Dim
Make dim by comparison or conceal
Obscure
Make less visible or unclear;
The stars are obscured by the clouds
Dim
Become vague or indistinct;
The distinction between the two theories blurred
Obscure
Make unclear, indistinct, or blurred;
Her remarks confused the debate
Their words obnubilate their intentions
Dim
Lacking in light; not bright or harsh;
A dim light beside the bed
Subdued lights and soft music
Obscure
Make obscure or unclear;
The distinction was obscured
Dim
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
Obscure
Make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing;
A hidden message
A veiled threat
Dim
Made dim or less bright;
The dimmed houselights brought a hush of anticipation
Dimmed headlights
We like dimmed lights when we have dinner
Obscure
Make difficult to perceive by sight;
The foliage of the huge tree obscures the view of the lake
Dim
Offering little or no hope;
The future looked black
Prospects were bleak
Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult
Took a dim view of things
Obscure
Not clearly understood or expressed;
An obscure turn of phrase
An impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit
Their descriptions of human behavior become vague, dull, and unclear
Vague...forms of speech...have so long passed for mysteries of science
Dim
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
Dumb officials make some really dumb decisions
He was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse
Worked with the slow students
Obscure
Marked by difficulty of style or expression;
Much that was dark is now quite clear to me
Those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure
Obscure
Difficult to find;
Hidden valleys
A hidden cave
An obscure retreat
Obscure
Not famous or acclaimed;
An obscure family
Unsung heroes of the war
Obscure
Not drawing attention;
An unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet
An obscure flaw
Obscure
Remote and separate physically or socially;
Existed over the centuries as a world apart
Preserved because they inhabited a place apart
Tiny isolated villages remote from centers of civilization
An obscure village
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Inuit vs. Mukluk
Next Comparison
Steering vs. Rudder
