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

At twilight, the mountains were etched against a dim horizon, the kill pen below like a torchlit encampment. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Travis Kelce is in the apparent twilight of his career approaching his 37th birthday in October. — Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026

To find it, look low above the southwestern horizon after sunset, where Venus will be easy to spot despite the lingering twilight. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2026

But there have also been many mid-30s former All-Stars who couldn’t muster anything remotely close to greatness during their twilight tours with the Heat. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 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