twilight

noun

twi·​light ˈtwī-ˌlīt 

often attributive

1

: 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

also : 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

• black
• blackness
• candlelight
• dark
• darkness
• dusk
• gloaming
• gloom
• murk
• night
• semidarkness
• shade
• shadows
• umbra

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

But not just because of its stunning cast: set in the twilight of the Gilded Age, when a murder strikes the estate of an eccentric and failing tycoon, that era’s biggest celebrities make an appearance as well. —Marta Balaga, Variety, 15 May 2025

For some inside the Capitol, Kehoe’s involvement in the twilight of the legislative session poses a big test of the new governor’s political clout after spending years as a prominent Jefferson City businessman. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2025

The whole point is the opposite: doing it throughout your life rather than waiting solely for the twilight years. —Vicki Salemi, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2025

Glad to enjoy a win in the twilight of the Ovi era with some beautiful goals from the big man. —Arpon Basu, New York Times, 1 May 2025

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