Word
dimly
Phoneticsdim·ly
US/ˈdɪmɫi/
UK/dˈɪmli/
Definition
adv. in a way that is not very bright or clear. You use it to describe light that is weak or a memory that is not sharp.
adv. in a manner that is faint, weak, or obscure. Often modifies verbs related to perception, such as 'see', 'hear', or 'remember'.
Examples
“I could only see the dark shapes dimly through the thick fog.”
“The old man spoke dimly of his childhood, struggling to recall the names of the people he had once known.”
“The candlelight flickered against the damp stone walls, casting dimly lit shadows that seemed to move of their own accord as the wind shifted outside.”
Examples
simple
“I could only see the dark shapes dimly through the thick fog.”
contextual
“The old man spoke dimly of his childhood, struggling to recall the names of the people he had once known.”
complex
“The candlelight flickered against the damp stone walls, casting dimly lit shadows that seemed to move of their own accord as the wind shifted outside.”
Etymology
From dim + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/dimly