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

Be ready just after sunset, when the planets near the horizon will be briefly visible in the fading twilight. —Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026

Binoculars alone should handle Uranus and help with Mercury and Venus in the twilight. —Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 19 Feb. 2026

This sobering reality forced John to find peace with the twilight of his creative career and with his banal job at Honeywell. —Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026

Courtenay, as a caregiver with deeply sympathetic layers, exhibits frustration and compassion in equal measure, blending the obstinate protestations of a man in his twilight years with the lifelong tenderness and wisdom that often accompany them. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Feb. 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