densely
gb/dˈɛnsli/ us/dˈɛnsli/
B2
English
Senses
0 senses
adverb
B2
property
1
with little space between things
Very close together; not much space.
Usage pattern:
densely + [arranged/packed/clustered/built]
Common mistake:
Common misspelling: 'densly' (missing the second 'e').
Synonyms
closely (General word for little space between things.)
|
tightly (Suggests pressure or firmness as well as closeness.)
|
compactly (Emphasizes efficiency and neat closeness.)
Antonyms
sparsely (With lots of space; not many things in the area.)
|
widely (Far apart rather than close together.)
Collocations
densely packed
|densely clustered
|densely arranged
|densely built
|densely spaced
|densely occupied
|densely grouped
|densely placed
Themes
space
|places
Examples
- The boxes were stacked densely on the loading dock.
- The old town is densely built, with narrow streets and tall buildings.
- Cars were parked so densely that it was hard to open the doors.
Learner examples
- The books are stored densely on the shelf.
- The chairs were placed densely in the room.
adverb
B2
property
2
thickly covered with plants
With many plants or trees close together.
Usage pattern:
densely + [wooded/forested/planted/vegetated]
Common mistake:
Learners may use 'dense' (adjective) when the adverb is needed: 'densely wooded' not 'dense wooded'.
Synonyms
thickly (Common with vegetation; less general than 'densely'.)
|
lushly (Adds the idea of healthy, rich growth.)
Antonyms
thinly (With not many plants; sparse coverage.)
|
barely (Almost no plant cover.)
Collocations
densely wooded
|densely forested
|densely planted
|densely vegetated
|densely covered
|densely overgrown
Themes
nature
|environment
Examples
- The hillside is densely wooded, so it looks dark even at noon.
- The garden is densely planted to reduce weeds.
- They hiked through a densely forested valley.
Learner examples
- The park is densely wooded.
- The field is densely planted with corn.
adverb
B2
property
3
with many people in an area
With many people living close together.
Usage pattern:
densely + [populated/settled]
Common mistake:
Often confused with 'densely' vs 'densely populated'—'densely' usually needs something it modifies (e.g., 'densely populated').
Synonyms
heavily (Common in 'heavily populated'; slightly less precise than 'densely'.)
|
thickly (Sometimes used for people in places, but less common than for vegetation.)
Antonyms
sparsely (Used in 'sparsely populated' to mean few people in an area.)
Collocations
densely populated
|densely settled
|densely inhabited
|densely urban
|densely populated areas
|densely populated city
Themes
cities
|geography
|society
Examples
- The island is densely populated along the coast.
- Densely populated neighborhoods tend to have better public transport.
- They moved from a densely populated city to a small rural town.
Learner examples
- This area is densely populated.
- I live in a densely populated city.
adverb
C1
property
4
with a lot of information
With many details or ideas close together.
Usage pattern:
densely + [written/argued/packed (with information)]
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse 'densely' for any 'long' text; it specifically implies concentrated information, not just length.
Synonyms
concisely (Positive focus on using few words; 'densely' can sound heavier or harder to read.)
|
compactly (Often implies efficient organization of information.)
Antonyms
loosely (Ideas are not tightly connected or concentrated.)
|
simply (Less detail; easier to understand quickly.)
Collocations
densely written
|densely argued
|densely packed with
|densely detailed
|densely reasoned
|densely informative
Themes
education
|writing
|media
Examples
- The introduction is densely written and takes time to unpack.
- Her article is densely argued, with references in almost every sentence.
- The manual is densely packed with technical details.
Learner examples
- This paragraph is densely written.
- The report is densely packed with information.
Grammar
Dictionary form
densely
IPA
GB/dˈɛnsli/
US/dˈɛnsli/
Syllables & stress
densely (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (densely)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: densely
- Plural: denselies
Word family
Expressions
densely built (up)
1/dˈɛnsli bˈɪlt ˈʌp/
fixed phrase
having many buildings close together
There are many buildings in a small area.
Examples
- The city center is densely built up, so parks are rare.
- They want to add more housing to this densely built district.
- Noise travels easily in densely built neighborhoods.
densely clustered
1/dˈɛnsli klˈʌstɚd/
fixed phrase
grouped very close together
Many things are in a small group.
Examples
- The restaurants are densely clustered around the station.
- Houses are densely clustered along the riverbank.
- The data points are densely clustered near zero.
densely packed
1/dˈɛnsli pˈækt/
fixed phrase
packed very tightly together
Very close together, with almost no space.
Examples
- The audience was densely packed near the stage.
- Spices were densely packed into small jars on the shelf.
- We walked down a densely packed street market.
densely populated
1/dˈɛnsli pˈɑpjəlˌeɪtɪd/
fixed phrase
having many people in one area
Many people live there.
Examples
- London is densely populated compared with most UK cities.
- They are building new schools in densely populated districts.
- The coastal plain is densely populated, but the interior is not.
densely wooded
1/dˈɛnsli wˈʊdɪd/
fixed phrase
covered with many trees
It has many trees close together.
Examples
- The property backs onto a densely wooded slope.
- A fire broke out in a densely wooded area.
- The trail runs through a densely wooded canyon.
densely written
1/dˈɛnsli ɹˈɪtən/
fixed phrase
hard to read because detailed
It has many ideas in few words.
Examples
- Chapter 2 is densely written, so I read it twice.
- The article is densely written but rewarding.
- His thesis is clearly structured, though densely written.