density

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountablephysics

   The amount of mass a material has in a given volume, showing how heavy it is for its size.

   Grammar: Uncountable in general use; countable for specific values: the densities of two metals.

   Patterns

   • the density of something
   • a density of something

   Lead has a much higher density than aluminum.

   Ice floats because its density is lower than that of liquid water.

   The scientist measured the density of the rock sample.

2. 2noununcountable

   The number of people, animals or things found in a particular area.

   Grammar: Usually follows a describing word such as population or traffic: low density.

   Patterns

   • the density of something in a place
   • high density

   The city has a high population density.

   Traffic density on the bridge peaks at rush hour.

   Birds nest at a lower density in the dry hills.

3. 3noununcountable

   The state of being thick, packed or difficult to see through or understand.

   Grammar: Applies to fog, forests or writing: the density of the prose.

   Patterns

   • the density of something

   The density of the fog forced us to slow down.

   Readers struggled with the density of the legal text.

   We lost the trail in the density of the forest.

Word forms

Common combinations

population density

Population density is highest near the coast.

high density

High density housing saves land.

low density

The suburbs are low density, with large gardens.

calculate the density

Students calculate the density of each liquid.

bone density

Exercise can improve bone density.

traffic density

Sensors measure traffic density on the highway.

Synonyms and how they differ

thickness

Thickness describes how deep or concentrated something is, but density is a measurable ratio in science.

concentration

Concentration usually means how much of a substance is in a mixture, while density concerns mass in a space.

compactness

Compactness stresses being tightly arranged and small, while density can be measured and compared.

crowding

Crowding focuses on too many people or things, whereas density is neutral and just states how packed a place is.

Opposites

Word family

dense adjective

closely packed or thick

densely adverb

in a tightly packed way

densify verb

to make something more tightly packed

densitometer noun

an instrument that measures optical or material density

Commonly confused: density or destiny? density or weight?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “density”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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