half-light

noun

Definition of half-lightnext
as in shadows

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 half-light Start with a stripe down the middle, then mow in a figure eight to get that half-dark, half-light tuxedo look, or, my preferred method, loop around like a Zamboni until you're done. — CBS News, 1 May 2026 Antarctica in mid-winter is bathed in a dusky half-light or shrouded in darkness, with the sun's orbit ensuring the warming rays no longer reach the icy landmass. — Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025 The play has a beautiful opening, in which a singer played by Georgia Heers appears in a hazy cone of half-light behind a golden curtain. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025 The world these characters inhabit, within an enclave of Flushing, Queens, is a place of in-between, captured in the evocative half-light of Norm Li’s cinematography, suggesting the cool-hot glow of the title’s blue sun. — Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 May 2024 The courtyard of the Four Seasons Washington DC is hot in the late July half-light. — Nick Remsen, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-light
  1. shadows
  2. dark
  3. blackness
  4. twilight
  5. semidarkness
  6. candlelight
  7. dusk
  8. gloaming
Noun
  • Serra’s immersive event, a rapture of colors and shadows, pays fittingly grandiose tribute to an emissary of a legendary cinematic era.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The regulatory framework — not the smell itself — determines whether cannabis use happens in the open under reasonable rules or in the shadows with none at all.
    — Peter Su, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of shadows
Noun
  • Perseus Rising in the northeast after dark, Perseus is not the easiest constellation to make sense of, but its rich star fields are hard to miss.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Nautical North, Cheboygan, Michigan (Lake Huron) Nautical North’s Shipwreck Tour threads past four lighthouses and three wrecks on the Cheboygan River, with a snorkeling add-on and sunset cruises that light the wrecks up after dark.
    — Stacy Conde, Midwest Living, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of dark
Noun
  • Totality was extraordinary, with a circle of blackness in the sky.
    — Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Experts say that the biggest challenge at that extreme level of blackness is actually measuring it.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 June 2026
Definition of blackness
Noun
  • Only from this path of totality, day will briefly turn to twilight and, in a clear sky, the sun’s corona will become visible around the moon for up to 2 minutes 18 seconds.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • As the moon completely covers the sun, day will briefly turn to twilight, revealing the sun's faint outer atmosphere, the corona.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of twilight
Noun
  • From its first painterly images, of the face of Meryl Streep, sad and tender and lovely in the semidarkness, the film declares its artistry, its sensitivity and its theme.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2023
  • Now, in the semidarkness and the throng of guests, all names seem somehow fluid, interchangeable, secondary.
    — Olga Tokarczuk, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2021
Definition of semidarkness
Noun
  • Shortly before the broadcast, the power went out in the museum – and the session was played by candlelight.
    — Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The walls were seamless sheets of wood that wavered in candlelight.
    — Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of candlelight
Noun
  • The galaxy arches high across the sky, with its brightest and most detailed regions now well placed after dusk.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The park is open from dawn to dusk, several benches are scattered throughout the trail system and restrooms are available at the trailhead.
    — Nick Wagner, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of dusk
Noun
  • 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
Definition of gloaming

Browse Nearby Words

half-lifes
half-light
halfpence
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Half-light.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-light. Accessed 17 Aug. 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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'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?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All