SUNLESS Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

sunless

adjective

ˈsən-ləs

Definition of sunless

as in dark

causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer mental patients who were once condemned to spend their lives in the sunless confines of a state asylum

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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 sunless To avoid a rash, reduce other risks of tanning, and protect your overall skin health, consider switching to a sunless self-tanner. — Carrie Madormo, Health, 24 Oct. 2025 Earth’s substantial atmosphere and geomagnetic field block most (but not all) of this bombardment, and the sunless interiors of worlds without these properties still get protection from overlying material. — Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2025 As a safer alternative, many people opt for sunless tanning methods such as fake tan products or sprays. — Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025 The setting is oppressive — cramped, sunless rooms in which workers push out pant after pant, shirt after shirt, vest after vest — but Wang’s gaze is never pitiful or exploitative. — Devika Girish, New York Times, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for sunless

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sunless

Adjective

Floor-to-ceiling glass walls let a lot of light into the space, which is decorated in tones of gray, with dark wood herring bone floors in the bar.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Sep. 2026
In its concluding episodes, the HBO juggernaut thrust an unearned heel turn on its female lead, rendered its climactic battle so dark viewers couldn’t see it, and ended over 70 hours of buildup with a rando on the Iron Throne.

— Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of dark

Adjective

Tonally, the film is torn between wanting to be brutally bleak and offering some kind of hope for Murphy and his precocious, adorable daughter.

— Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Max was born in 1937 in Berlin to German-Jewish parents who fled the city from the occupation of Nazis in 1938 to Shanghai, where the artist discovered bright colors, a stark contrast from his parents’ bleak past.

— Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of bleak

Adjective

Chronically lonely employees who struggle with social confidence may need extra support, Hadley said.

— Cordilia James, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
Even Stephen Curry, who transformed himself into an NBA all-time great through endless lonely work on his shooting, had recently asked Tiafoe the question in a casual chat.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of lonely

Adjective

With its fragile acoustic melodies, desolate lyrics, and spare, subtle studio accompaniment, Ride Lonesome is like Nick Drake’s mumble-folk masterpiece Bryter Layter as the work of a lovelorn Laurel Canyon soft-rock poet.

— Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2026
Making matters worse, those same neighborhoods are some of the city’s most desolate transit deserts.

— Al Sharpton, New York Daily News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of desolate

Adjective

Research has found that low serotonin levels could lead to the return of clinically significant depressive symptoms in people who have depression.

— Amber Raiken, Verywell Health, 18 Sep. 2026
This dichotomy, between depressive routine and the spark of something exciting, or even irksome, both informs each relationship, and clarifies (for the viewer) Arash’s state of mind the more his reasons are revealed.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of depressive

Adjective

All parents struggle in some way to adjust to life as empty nesters, but Charlie leaves his mom and dad in a somber, reflective state that casts a heavy pall over an episode that drifts toward the turgid.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
The clubhouse was somewhat somber Friday afternoon, with players still feeling shaken up after witnessing one of the scariest collisions many had ever seen on a baseball field.

— Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of somber

Adjective

At the scene Friday night, a gray electric Citi Bike could be seen lodged beneath the wheels of a truck belonging to Badger Daylighting, a company specializing in hydrovac excavation whose NYC headquarters are located in the Bronx.

— Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026
Trotter’s husband, a farmer, was to block traffic by driving ahead in their gray pickup truck; their five-year-old son and infant daughter were along for the ride.

— Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of gray

Browse Nearby Words

sun lamps

sunless

sunlight

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“Sunless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sunless. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of sunless

adjective

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