lowlight

noun

low·​light ˈlō-ˌlīt 

plural lowlights

1

: a particularly bad or unpleasant event, detail, or part

2

: an area of the hair made a darker color (as through the application of chemical substances)

—usually plural

And his last rule of thumb is to start with a neutral, all-over color—without it, your highlights and lowlights won't pop.

—Rachel Nussbaum

Examples of lowlight in a Sentence

That meal turned out to be one of the lowlights of our vacation.

Recent Examples on the Web

The fashion guru typically rocks her tried-and-true ashy blonde, occasionally opting for highlights and/or lowlights. —Tessa Petak, InStyle, 8 Jan. 2026

Here is my rundown of the highlights and lowlights of the year, with a nod to what to look forward to in 2026. —Simon Johnson, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2026

Despite some early lowlights in short-yardage situations, Dowdle proved to be the right choice against Green Bay as the game went on. —Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2025

Two of the lowlights included Zach Sieler’s roughing-the-kicker penalty that eventually led to the Bills’ go-ahead touchdown, as well as Tua Tagovailoa’s interception on a potential game-tying drive. —Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lowlight

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight