1
as in shadow
partial darkness due to the obstruction of light rays
the lunar eclipse began with a subtle darkening of the lunar surface as it passed within the Earth's penumbra
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in veil
something that covers or conceals like a piece of cloth
a penumbra of despair fell over the doomed city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of penumbra
The partial outer shadow is called the penumbra; the full, dark shadow is the umbra.
—
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
For now, we’re held in the sweet penumbra of heaviness.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
During a partial solar eclipse, the umbra misses Earth, with only the penumbra — the moon's outer, fuzzier and lighter shadow — striking Earth.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The umbra is a darker inner shadow and the penumbra is a fainter outer shadow, according to NASA.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penumbra
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
For now, we’re held in the sweet penumbra of heaviness.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
During a partial solar eclipse, the umbra misses Earth, with only the penumbra — the moon's outer, fuzzier and lighter shadow — striking Earth.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The umbra is a darker inner shadow and the penumbra is a fainter outer shadow, according to NASA.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penumbra
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penumbra
Noun
-
Out of the shadow of Jesse’s big personality, Michelle is opening up this season, first with her heartbreaking estrangement from her father and now with her grieving process for her mother.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
-
Hong Kong — China’s top spy agency has come out of the shadows to warn that its young people are being duped by foreign forces into shirking hard work and prioritizing their individual emotions at the expense of national development.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
An ever-present veil would fail to conceal the wife’s all-consuming grief.—
Dan Barry,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
-
The veils of the universe have thinned.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Blooms range in shades from lavender to blue and pink to white.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
-
The former Parks boss threw a little shade at his rivals.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
For the young man watching her, the dress becomes the shroud of his dream of infinite pleasure.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
-
Graves are dug by hand and bodies are only buried in caskets or shrouds made of biodegradable materials like bamboo or cotton.—
Dorany Pineda,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
In it, a crescent of Earth’s blue vitality hovers amid the blackness of space, above a high-definition brownish gray wasteland of lunar craters.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Together, these two superb artists make much of Yarris constantly seeking the light, as Yarris searches for a way forward from the blackness of death row.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The kitchen includes a large island and a breakfast area close to a cloak and powder room nearby.—
Kaitlyn Keegan,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
-
But now, at 31, the Drain Gang rapper still maintains a certain cloak of invisibility in the country.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Does typically spend the day away from their fawns to forage, returning at dusk.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
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Everything now centered on his homecoming, when the family would celebrate by breaking the dawn-to-dusk fast of Ramadan with a feast.—
Dan Barry,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Brand’s love letter to Musk casts a pall on the rest of the book, under which the author’s indifference to politics becomes more difficult to ignore.—
Alec Nevala-Lee,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
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The allegations have put a pall over the efforts of the Kenyan mission, which while not successful in returning security and stability to Haiti, has been credited with stopping the situation from completely collapsing.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penumbra.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penumbra. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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