dim

faible, terne

Qui éclaire peu ou dont les couleurs manquent d’intensité ou de netteté.

En anglais simple : Giving little light, or having colours that are not strong or clear.

• The light is dim.
• We ate dinner in a dim room.
• The painting’s dim colours were hard to see from a distance.

Synonymes : faint, muted

Contraires : bright

Expressions courantes : dim light, dim room

flou, vague

Difficile à voir nettement ou à bien se rappeler.

En anglais simple : Difficult to see clearly or remember well.

• I have a dim memory of that day.
• A dim outline appeared through the fog.
• His vision became dim after the injury.

Synonymes : unclear, faint, vague

Contraires : clear

Expressions courantes : dim memory, dim outline, dim recollection

bête, pas très malin

Se dit d’une personne qui met du temps à comprendre les choses.

En anglais simple : A person described this way is slow to understand things.

• He is a bit dim.
• She thought the new assistant was rather dim.
• Was I being dim when I missed the joke?

Synonymes : slow, stupid

Contraires : clever, intelligent

Expressions courantes : a bit dim, rather dim

baisser, tamiser

Rendre une lumière moins vive.

En anglais simple : If you do this to a light, you make it less bright.

• Please dim the lights.
• She dimmed the screen before bed.
• Can you dim that lamp a little?

Contraires : brighten

Expressions courantes : dim the lights, dim the screen, dim a lamp

faiblir, s’assombrir

Devenir moins vive, en parlant d’une lumière.

En anglais simple : If a light does this, it becomes less bright.

• The lights began to dim.
• The fire dimmed as the wood burned away.
• We watched the evening sky dim.

Synonymes : fade

Contraires : brighten

Expressions courantes : lights dim, flames dim, begin to dim

affaiblir, ternir

Rendre un sentiment ou une qualité moins fort, ou réduire une chance de réussite.

En anglais simple : To make a feeling, quality, or chance weaker.

• The delay dimmed our hopes.
• Several defeats have dimmed their confidence.
• Nothing could dim her enthusiasm for the project.

Synonymes : weaken, dampen, diminish

Contraires : strengthen

Expressions courantes : dim someone’s hopes, dim the prospects, dim someone’s enthusiasm