sunless

adjective

sun·​less ˈsən-ləs 

1

: lacking sunshine : dark

In the bay's sunless middle depths, other-worldly creatures drift through the darkness …

—Tom Waters

2

: cheerless

But now and then he gave us a sermon … some would call a very good one; but sunless and severe.

—Anne Brontë

Synonyms of sunless

• dark
• bleak
• lonely
• darkening
• desolate
• depressive
• depressing
• somber
• gray
• cold
• solemn
• murky
• lonesome
• blue

Examples of sunless in a Sentence

mental patients who were once condemned to spend their lives in the sunless confines of a state asylum

Recent Examples on the Web

Those last months spent hiding from Pakistani police in a sunless room. —George Packer, The Atlantic, 13 May 2026

The bits of name tags that had yellowed and faded, even in a sunless corridor. —Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026

There’s never been a better time to prioritize sunless tanning. —Tori Crowther, Allure, 22 Apr. 2026

His eyes are wrapped in gauze, and his hair is the grey of a sunless afternoon. —Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sunless

adjective

sun·​less ˈsən-ləs 

: lacking sunshine : dark