SEMIDARKNESS Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

semidarkness

noun

ˌse-mē-ˈdärk-nəs

Definition of semidarkness

as in shadows

a time or place of little or no light fumbling around in the semidarkness

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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 semidarkness 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, 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 Hong establishes feelings of isolation from the very first shot, an image of an empty room in semidarkness that becomes a visual motif in the film. — Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader, 12 July 2018 In other areas, bored passengers waited in long lines or simply sprawled out on the slick airport floor, waiting in the semidarkness. — Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 18 Dec. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for semidarkness

Noun

Films can end up looking too bright or too clean, revealing details in the shadows that Kubrick never intended audiences to see.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026
The man’s collarbones no longer cast deep shadows at the base of his neck, Shawn noticed.

— Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of shadows

Noun

When Lee is so clearly shattered, sitting at home in silence and in darkness?

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Curators Massimiliano Gioni and Gary Carrion-Murayari have parceled nearly four decades’ worth of art across two floors of the New York museum, casting much of the exhibition in inky darkness.

— Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of darkness

Noun

The Halifax surged forward into blackness, each second narrowing the distance between flight and catastrophe.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
The surf was raging, completely enveloping the craft with only the swaying masts visible in the blackness of the night.

— CBS News, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of blackness

Noun

One of the best things to come from the recent renovation was Notch8, the new lobby-level bar and restaurant, which serves excellent drinks in a dark, loungey atmosphere.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Look east and southeast after dark for the Great Square of Pegasus — four moderately bright stars (Scheat, Alpheratz, Markab and Algenib) outlining an enormous square.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of dark

Noun

Effigies of Ravana—often along with those of Ravana’s son Meghanada (also known as Indrajit) and Ravana’s brother Kumbhakarna—are stuffed with firecrackers and set ablaze at dusk in open fields.

— Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Oct. 2026
Shawn and his father found the man on the easternmost coast of their island shortly after dusk, when the sky was drained of almost all its orange light and the waves had grown dark, topped with an eerie froth.

— Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of dusk

Noun

With that, Dorinda gathers everyone (except for Chanel Ayan, who is too beautiful for the cold) out into the freezing night for the fireworks that end this celebration.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
That’s very much present in both our opening and closing night selections, but also across the whole program.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of night

Noun

Lots of red and black everywhere, with a touch of the ridiculous.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
The latest iteration of the colorway will feature a two-tone black-and-gray upper, a feature that has historically alternated between solid black and the contrasting look seen on the upcoming reissue.

— Riley Jones, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of black

Noun

Arizona led 2-1 in the third before the Padres went in front on Ty France's RBI groundout and Gavin Sheets' RBI double that center fielder Tim Tawa lost in the lights and twilight sky.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
And at twilight, New Orleans bandleader and composer Jon Batiste delivered a contagious tour-de-force of joy and struggle, careening from ragtime classics to contemporary numbers.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of twilight

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“Semidarkness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/semidarkness. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of semidarkness

noun

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