denser; densest
1
a
: marked by compactness or crowding together of parts
dense vegetation
dense traffic
b
chemistry
: having a high mass (see mass entry 2 sense 1c) per unit volume (see volume entry 1 sense 2)
Carbon dioxide is a dense gas.
The cake was overly sweet and dense.
2
a
: slow to understand : stupid, thickheaded
was too dense to get the joke
b
: extreme
dense ignorance
3
mathematics
: having between any two elements at least one element
The set of rational numbers is dense.
4
: demanding concentration to follow or comprehend
dense prose
5
: having high or relatively high opacity (see opacity sense 2)
a dense fog
a dense photographic negative
densely
adverb
Synonyms
Examples of dense in a Sentence
They cut a path through the dense jungle.
a dense tangle of wires
a dense cluster of stars
That part of the city has a dense population of immigrants.
A dense mass of spectators filled the courtroom.
In the movie, she plays his kind but somewhat dense aunt.
Recent Examples on the Web
States with less dense populations tend to have less traffic, and people in rural communities often live closer to their jobs than those commuting to a city or taking an hourlong subway ride to work, Search Logistics found.
—
Ben Kesslen, Quartz, 18 Nov. 2024
In the app, the Wildfire Smoke Layer shows where smoke from those fires drifts and how dense that smoke is.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
The Falcon 9's first stage boosted the rocket out of the dense lower atmosphere and then fall away, restarting three of its nine engines (bright dot at top center) to begin reversing course to head back to Cape Canaveral for landing.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2024
Sour cream adds a fluffy creaminess and tang to the potatoes, while cream cheese adds a similar tanginess, but slightly denser texture.
—Stacey Ballis, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dense 
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Ben Kesslen, Quartz, 18 Nov. 2024
In the app, the Wildfire Smoke Layer shows where smoke from those fires drifts and how dense that smoke is.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
The Falcon 9's first stage boosted the rocket out of the dense lower atmosphere and then fall away, restarting three of its nine engines (bright dot at top center) to begin reversing course to head back to Cape Canaveral for landing.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2024
Sour cream adds a fluffy creaminess and tang to the potatoes, while cream cheese adds a similar tanginess, but slightly denser texture.
—Stacey Ballis, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dense
Dictionary Entries Near dense
Cite this Entry
“Dense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dense. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dense
adjective
denser; densest
1
a
: marked by closeness or crowding together of parts
a dense forest
b
: having a high mass per unit volume
lead is a very dense metal
2
: slow to understand : stupid sense 1a
3
: thick entry 1 sense 4
dense fog
4
: having between any two mathematical elements at least one element
the set of rational numbers is dense
densely
adverb
denseness
noun
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