twilight

noun

twi·​light ˈtwī-ˌlīt 

often attributive

1

a

: the light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between sunset and full night produced by diffusion of sunlight through the atmosphere and its dust

especially : such light immediately following sunset

b

: a time of twilight

2

a

: an intermediate state that is not clearly defined

… lived in the twilight of neutrality …

—Newsweek

b

: a period of decline

Synonyms of twilight

• dark
• dusk
• shadows
• night
• darkness
• blackness
• black
• gloom

Examples of twilight in a Sentence

The sun set and twilight fell.

stumbled around the twilight of the shuttered room, unable to see where she was going

Recent Examples on the Web

And even though Messi is in the twilight of his career, Jamieson doesn’t expect the demand for his signature to slow down. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 7 July 2026

Discounts for residents, juniors and seniors and for twilight hours. — Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 7 July 2026

Venus is still with us though, and is the brightest star-like object in the sky this month, popping out in the low western twilight very soon after sunset and slipping below the horizon not long after evening twilight ends. — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 5 July 2026

However, nights remain short for observers in the northern hemisphere and lingering twilight could make auroras harder to spot. — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 2 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing twilight

• twilight glow
• twilight world
• twilight zone

Rhymes for twilight

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

Kids Definition

twilight

noun

twi·​light ˈtwī-ˌlīt 

: the period or the light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between sunset and full night