gloaming

noun

ˈglō-miŋ How to pronounce gloaming (audio)
Definition of gloamingnext
1
as in dusk
a time or place of little or no light lovers would often retreat to the gloaming of the park's many secluded recesses to steal a kiss

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in night
the time from when the sun begins to set to the onset of total darkness with the gloaming came the familiar call of the whip-poor-will

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gloaming The mirror’s surface turned suddenly iridescent, like an oil slick beneath a gloaming. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026 There is an excellent chance that one of the world’s two best golfers will be sliding his arms into a green jacket in the sweet gloaming of Sunday evening just outside the Augusta National clubhouse. — Jason Sobel, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025 Just across the street was a second landfill, belonging to a Texas company called Weeks Environmental, whose own black mountain—nearly ten million additional barrels of waste—rose into the Texas gloaming. — Justin Nobel, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025 So imagine everyone’s delight when Bennifer reemerged from the gloaming after Lopez split with fiance Alex Rodriguez. — Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 17 July 2022 The game down on the field seems to be played in the gloaming. — Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 Jan. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gloaming
  1. dusk
  2. night
  3. shadows
  4. sunset
  5. dark
  6. twilight
  7. blackness
  8. evening
Noun
  • What’s Next In The Night Sky Over the next four weeks, the moon continues to wax, culminating in the rise — during dusk — of the full Buck Moon on July 29.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • This ring, traversing the sky for hours after dusk and before dawn, would outshine every star and planet, and be visible from every spot on Earth.
    — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of dusk
Noun
  • What makes this harder to believe is that the night before, Gavin accused Kenny of lying to him for years, and Kenny likened him to Bernie Madoff.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 15 July 2026
  • The fire, which broke out on Sunday night, killed at least 32 people and left more than 70 injured, 24 of whom are still in critical condition, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 July 2026
Definition of night
Noun
  • But out of the shadows emerges a former soldier known only as Berry, who starts building a secret resistance network.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 July 2026
  • Blume’s unobtrusive handiwork lifts Show Me the Body out of the shadows without sun-bleaching their craggy exterior.
    — Eli Enis, Pitchfork, 15 July 2026
Definition of shadows
Noun
  • When And Where To Look The sight of a crescent moon and Venus will be on display low in the west, as seen from mid-north latitudes, from about 45 minutes after sunset for about an hour.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • For a perfect Meredith day, kayak to nearby Stonedam Island and back, then go for a sunset dinner cruise on the historic M/S Mount Washington.
    — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 17 July 2026
Definition of sunset
Noun
  • One incident in June involved hundreds of teens convening after dark at Romare Bearden Park, where police arrested 23 teenagers and one adult and issued citations to 13 parents.
    — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2026
  • Undeterred, Norway’s players celebrated with beer and waved as the party continued long after dark.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 14 July 2026
Definition of dark
Noun
  • The short summer nights (and this week’s first quarter moon) may make faint aurora harder to see, with lingering twilight reducing the contrast required to spot a glow low on the northern horizon.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • In the twilight of their lives, the Harlemite partners in crime are now more self-critical than ever before.
    — Niela Orr, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of twilight
Noun
  • Experts say that the biggest challenge at that extreme level of blackness is actually measuring it.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 June 2026
  • In the restaurant, my dad looked at me with the passionate conviction of a man who was confident in his Blackness and wanted nothing more than to pass it on.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 June 2026
Definition of blackness
Noun
  • After letting go of the minor, Schmidt yelled at both his parents and Pambianchi for the remainder of the evening, aggressively getting into Pambianchi's face multiple times.
    — Gabe White, Arkansas Online, 21 July 2026
  • The potential path is long and demanding, starting with the visit of Pyunik on Wednesday evening for a first qualifying round clash that will see the winners take on either Northern Ireland’s Glentoran or Latvian side Riga.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of evening

Browse Nearby Words

glitzy
gloaming
gloamings
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Gloaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloaming. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stalwart

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All