Synonyms of dusk

dusk 1 of 3

adjective

ˈdəsk 

as in darkened

being without light or without much light

under a dusk sky, the campers wearily bedded down for the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

• darkened
• dark
• murky
• dusky
• black
• dim
• dimmed
• unlit
• darkling
• somber
• lightless
• stygian
• pitch-dark
• obscured
• pitch-black
• gloomy
• darkish
• obscure
• darksome
• tenebrous
• moonless
• crepuscular
• pitchy
• twilit
• rayless
• caliginous
• misty
• tenebrific
• gray
• starless
• cloudy
• shadowy
• dulled
• pale
• foggy
• clouded
• shady
• lackluster
• sunless
• dull
• leaden
• smoggy
• shadowlike
• fuliginous
• soupy
• befogged
• beclouded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• illuminated
• luminous
• bright
• lit
• shining
• brilliant
• lucid
• incandescent
• lucent
• sparkling
• radiant
• illumined
• lambent
• lightsome
• brightened
• resplendent
• alight
• glaring
• glowing
• effulgent
• beaming
• beamy
• shiny
• glossy
• lustrous
• aglitter
• moonlit
• sunlit
• agleam
• relucent
• ablaze
• ultrabright
• starlit
• moony
• floodlit
• highlighted
• spotlighted

dusk

2 of 3

noun

1

as in sunset

the time from when the sun begins to set to the onset of total darkness

we stopped playing at dusk, since it was getting too dark to see the ball

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sunset
• night
• twilight
• evening
• nightfall
• sundown
• eve
• dark
• eventide
• gloaming
• crepuscule
• darkness
• nighttime
• evenfall

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dawn
• sunrise
• morning
• daybreak
• daylight
• morn
• dawning
• aurora
• day
• light
• sunup
• daytime
• cockcrow
• forenoon

2

as in night

a time or place of little or no light

legends of fearsome beasts living in the dusk of the great forest

Synonyms & Similar Words

• night
• dark
• shadows
• darkness
• blackness
• twilight
• black
• midnight
• gloom
• candlelight
• gloaming
• semidarkness
• murk
• shade
• umbra
• blackout
• dullness
• dimness
• half-light
• cloudiness
• somberness
• grayness
• haziness
• faintness
• brownout
• umbrage
• murkiness
• paleness
• mistiness
• gloominess
• dimout
• shadiness
• fogginess

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• day
• daylight
• light
• glow
• brightness
• glare
• moonlight
• sunlight
• blaze
• brilliance
• lightness
• starlight
• sunshine
• radiance
• luminescence
• shine
• luminosity
• luminance
• effulgence
• radiancy
• incandescence
• luminousness

3

as in shade

partial darkness due to the obstruction of light rays

the forbidding dusk of Germany's famed Black Forest

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shade
• shadow
• blackness
• gloom
• penumbra
• umbra
• dimness
• semidarkness
• shadiness
• duskiness
• murkiness
• somberness
• gloominess
• obscurity
• cloudiness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• brightness
• illumination
• radiance
• luminosity
• incandescence
• brilliance
• luminance
• lucidity
• lightness
• effulgence
• radiancy
• luminousness
• lucidness

dusk

3 of 3

verb

as in to darken

to grow dark

the grief-stricken woman continued to sit in the dusking room until she was completely enveloped in darkness

Synonyms & Similar Words

• darken
• fade
• dim
• close in
• blacken
• gloom
• black out
• wane
• lower

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• lighten
• glow
• beam
• brighten
• dawn
• shine
• radiate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dusk

Adjective

Mylar space blankets draped across their shoulders glistened a surreal golden hue as the vessel’s blinding strobe lights illuminated the post-dusk spectacle. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2021

Forgive me for skipping dinner, but my pre-dusk meals were simply not going to be outshone. — Andi Berlin, The Arizona Republic, 22 Aug. 2021

Noun

A week later Eliza and I made it out again after nap time, at dusk, to sample a flaky bun from Seven Stars Bakery with its layers laminated like a croissant and dusted with cinnamon sugar. — Sean Carlson, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2026

Adriatic sage brings the outdoors in—this candle smells like an open window in the height of Italian summer, sunlight on tile floors, and triple servings of pasta to come in the late dusk. — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026

Verb

With minimal humidity, near-perfect clear-sky frequency and vast empty horizons, Namibia offers the kind of slow, immersive darkness that makes dusking feel less like a trend and more like a return to something ancient. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026

The park is open from daylight to dusk for visitors and 24/7 for campers. — Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 15 Jan. 2026