dense
UK: dens | US: dens
adj. closely compacted in substance
adj. difficult to understand because of complexity
adj. (of a person) slow to comprehend
The word "dense" traces back to Latin densus, meaning "thick, crowded, or compact." It entered Middle English via Old French dens, retaining its core sense of physical tightness. Over time, it expanded metaphorically to describe abstract complexity (e.g., "dense text") or intellectual slowness, reflecting how physical thickness can impede clarity or progress.
The forest was so dense that sunlight barely reached the ground.
Her essay was criticized for being overly dense and hard to follow.
He struggled with the dense mathematical proofs.
The fog grew denser as we climbed the mountain.
Some readers find his writing style unnecessarily dense.