dense
gb/dˈɛns/ us/dˈɛns/
B1
英语
~ 9800
义项
0 个义项
adjective
B1
property
1
closely packed or thick
Having many things very close together, with little empty space.
用法模式：
a dense [noun]
常见错误：
Learners sometimes confuse "dense" with "intense" or "strong". "Dense" usually describes how full or crowded something is in space (dense forest, dense crowd), not how powerful it feels. Also, "dense" for crowded places is more common in writing; in everyday speech, people often say "packed" or "crowded".
近义词
thick (Very common general synonym for things like fog, hair, or forests; slightly more informal and broader in use.)
|
packed (Often used especially for people or objects in a space; suggests being uncomfortably full.)
|
crowded (Used mainly for people or vehicles, not usually for things like forests or fog.)
反义词
sparse (Standard opposite when things are spread out with a lot of empty space between them.)
|
thin (Opposite especially for things like hair, fog, or forests where there are few items in a given space.)
|
scattered (Emphasizes that items are spread out in different places rather than gathered together.)
搭配
dense forest
|dense fog
|dense crowd
|dense traffic
|dense jungle
|dense hair
主题
nature
|daily life
|transport
|core_vocabulary
例句
- We pushed our way through the dense crowd in the square.
- The hikers got lost in the dense forest after dark.
- A dense layer of fog covered the highway, making it hard to see.
- The city is surrounded by dense jungle on all sides.
- Her hair is so dense that it takes a long time to dry.
学习者例句
- There is a dense forest behind my house.
- We waited in a dense crowd outside the stadium.
- Dense fog made the road hard to see.
- The bus was very dense with people.
- He has very dense hair on his head.
adjective
technical
B2
property
2
having high physical density
Having a lot of matter in a small space, so it is heavy for its size.
用法模式：
[substance] is dense
常见错误：
Learners sometimes think "dense" here just means "heavy". In science, "dense" describes how much mass is in a certain volume, so an object can be small and dense but still feel heavy for its size.
近义词
high-density (More technical and explicit; often used in scientific or engineering contexts.)
|
heavy (Common word for weight; overlaps when something is heavy for its size but can be less precise scientifically.)
反义词
low-density (Technical opposite, describing materials with little mass in a given volume.)
|
light (Opposite in everyday speech when something does not feel heavy for its size.)
搭配
dense material
|dense metal
|dense core
|dense liquid
|dense gas
主题
science
|physics
例句
- Lead is much more dense than aluminum.
- Because cold water is more dense, it sinks to the bottom of the lake.
- The planet has a dense metal core.
- This foam is very light because the material is not dense.
- Helium is less dense than air, so balloons filled with it float.
学习者例句
- Gold is a very dense metal.
- Cold water is more dense than warm water.
- This rock is small but dense, so it feels heavy.
- Oil is less dense than water and stays on top.
- The scientist measured how dense the liquid was.
adjective
C1
property
3
full of information and difficult
Having many ideas or too many words, so it is not easy to read or understand.
用法模式：
dense [text / book / article]
常见错误：
Learners may think "dense" always means "stupid", so they are surprised to see it describe books or texts. In this sense, "dense" is neutral and often positive or respectful, suggesting deep or serious content, not low intelligence.
近义词
complex (General word for something with many parts; does not always suggest that the writing is packed with information.)
|
heavy (Informal for writing that feels serious and hard to read; may also suggest an emotional tone.)
|
packed (Emphasizes that there is a lot of content in a small space, similar metaphor to "dense".)
反义词
simple (Describes writing that is easy to understand and not complicated.)
|
light (Often used for writing that is easy to read and not very serious or detailed.)
|
readable (Focuses on how easy and pleasant a text is to read.)
搭配
dense text
|dense novel
|dense argument
|dense academic writing
|dense prose
主题
education
|books
|academia
|communication
例句
- The article is quite dense, so you may need to read it twice.
- His book is brilliant but very dense, packed with theories and data.
- The professor assigned a dense academic paper for homework.
- I find legal documents too dense to understand without help.
- The report is so dense that it took me all afternoon to go through it.
学习者例句
- This textbook is very dense and hard to read.
- The article is dense, with many new words.
- Her writing is dense, but the ideas are good.
- The law text is too dense for me.
- We had to study a dense scientific paper in class.
adjective
informal
B2
property
4
slow to understand; stupid
Not quick to understand; a little stupid.
用法模式：
[someone] is dense
常见错误：
Learners sometimes use this meaning of "dense" in formal writing, where it can sound rude or childish. It is better kept for informal speech. Also, "dense" about a person does not mean they are physically heavy; it only refers to mental ability.
近义词
slow (Informal for someone who takes a long time to understand; usually less rude than directly calling someone stupid.)
|
thick (Very close in meaning and tone; British English, quite informal and can be rude.)
|
dim (Informal, suggests low intelligence but often slightly softer than "stupid".)
反义词
bright (Informal compliment meaning intelligent or quick to understand.)
|
sharp (Suggests quick mental ability and understanding.)
|
smart (Common everyday opposite, especially in American English.)
搭配
so dense
|a bit dense
|can be dense
|emotionally dense
主题
emotions
|social
|core_vocabulary
例句
- I can be a bit dense sometimes—could you explain that again?
- He's not dense; he just needs more time to think.
- She was too dense to notice that he was flirting with her.
- Don't be so dense; the answer is right in front of you.
- I felt really dense when everyone else understood the joke but me.
学习者例句
- I was dense and did not see the problem.
- He is not dense; he just learns slowly.
- She thinks I am dense because I asked many questions.
- Sometimes I feel dense in math class.
- Do not call him dense; it is not kind.
adjective
technical
C2
property
5
mathematical dense set property
In math, used for a set of points where you can always find a point from that set as close as you want to any point in the space.
用法模式：
a dense [set / subset]
常见错误：
Learners may try to connect this directly to the everyday meaning of "crowded". While related by metaphor, in mathematics "dense" has a precise definition about points being arbitrarily close, not just many points in a region.
近义词
everywhere-approximating (Non-standard explanatory phrase sometimes used informally to explain the idea of denseness in math.)
反义词
discrete (In many mathematical contexts, describes sets where points are isolated rather than dense.)
搭配
dense subset
|dense set
|dense in
|nowhere dense
主题
mathematics
|science
|education
例句
- The rational numbers are dense in the real numbers.
- In this topology, the image of the function is dense.
- We showed that continuous functions with compact support form a dense subset of this space.
学习者例句
- In math class we learned that the rational numbers are dense.
- The teacher said the line of points is dense in the plane.
- They proved that this set is dense in the interval.
- A dense set in math has points everywhere in the space.
语法
词典原形
dense
IPA
GB/dˈɛns/
US/dˈɛns/
音节与重音
dense （1 个音节）
Stress on 1st syllable (dense)
词形变化
Adjective
- Base: dense
- Comparative: denser
- Superlative: densest
词族
相关表达
dense crowd
1/dˈɛns kɹˈaʊd/
fixed phrase
tightly packed group of people
A group of many people standing very close to each other.
例句
- We pushed through the dense crowd to reach the stage.
- A dense crowd formed outside the store before it opened.
dense fog
1/dˈɛns fˈɔɡ/
fixed phrase
very thick fog
Fog that is so thick you cannot see very far.
例句
- Driving was dangerous because of the dense fog on the highway.
- Flights were delayed this morning due to dense fog at the airport.
dense forest
1/dˈɛns fˈɔɹɪst/
fixed phrase
forest with closely packed trees
A forest where the trees are very close together and there is little empty space.
例句
- They hiked for hours through the dense forest.
- The village is surrounded by dense forest on all sides.
dense jungle
1/dˈɛns d͡ʒˈʌŋɡəl/
fixed phrase
thick, hard-to-cross jungle
Jungle with many plants and trees close together, so it is hard to walk through.
例句
- We cut a path through the dense jungle with machetes.
- The island is covered in dense jungle and steep hills.
dense metal
1/dˈɛns mˈɛtəl/
fixed phrase
technical
metal with high density
Metal that is heavy for its size because it has a lot of matter in a small space.
例句
- Lead is a dense metal used for shielding radiation.
- Gold is a very dense metal, which is why it feels heavy even in small pieces.
dense population
1/dˈɛns pˌɑpjəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
many people in small area
When a place has many people living in a small area.
例句
- The city has a very dense population compared to rural areas.
- Countries with dense populations often struggle with housing and transport.
dense smoke
1/dˈɛns smˈoʊk/
fixed phrase
thick, hard-to-see-through smoke
Smoke that is so thick you cannot see clearly through it.
例句
- Dense smoke poured out of the burning building.
- The fire produced dense smoke that spread across the highway.
dense text
1/dˈɛns tˈɛkst/
fixed phrase
writing with many ideas, difficult
Writing that has many ideas or details in a small space, so it is not easy to read.
例句
- The contract is written in very dense text.
- Students often find dense text challenging without guidance.
dense traffic
1/dˈɛns tɹˈæfɪk/
fixed phrase
very heavy traffic
Traffic with many cars close together, often moving slowly.
例句
- We left early to avoid the dense traffic on the ring road.
- Dense traffic made the commute much longer than usual.