candlelight

noun

can·​dle·​light ˈkan-dᵊl-ˌ(l)īt 

1

a

: the light of a candle

b

: a soft artificial light

2

: the time for lighting candles : twilight

Synonyms

• black
• blackness
• dark
• darkness
• dusk
• gloaming
• gloom
• murk
• night
• semidarkness
• shade
• shadows
• twilight
• umbra

Examples of candlelight in a Sentence

at candlelight carolers would gather in the village green before beginning their stroll

Recent Examples on the Web

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaks at a candlelight vigil on June 10 in Los Angeles. —Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025

The Maldives is renowned for its quiet luxuries—overwater villas with plunge pools, candlelight dinners on the beach, and of course private butlers. —Forbes.com, 20 June 2025

In January, Ondo donated $1 million to Mr. Trump’s inauguration, securing an invite to a candlelight dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington, where the guest list included several of Mr. Trump’s cabinet nominees. —Eric Lipton, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

The earl scribbled a note in the candlelight and sent a messenger to deliver the letter, and the magazine key, to the captain of a Royal Navy ship anchored a half-dozen miles away, in the James River. —Andrew Lawler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for candlelight

• acolyte
• aconite
• allanite
• alunite
• amberlite
• ammonite
• amorite
• amphitrite
• analyte
• anchorite
• andesite
• anhydrite

Kids Definition

candlelight

noun

can·​dle·​light ˈkan-dᵊl-ˌ(l)īt 

1

: the light of a candle

2

: soft artificial light

candlelit

-dᵊl-ˌ(l)it

adjective