tenebrific

adjective

ˌte-nə-ˈbri-fik How to pronounce tenebrific (audio)
Definition of tenebrificnext
1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light a man unexpectedly emerged from the tenebrific shadows of the cave

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dark
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer soldiers who had lived for months in the tenebrific trenches that stretched along the western front

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tenebrific
  1. darkened
  2. dark
  3. murky
  4. lonely
  5. black
  6. bleak
  7. depressing
  8. somber
Adjective
  • This trend has been pretty pervasive among designer bags recently, with shoppers buying new Prada and Chanel bags with darkened leather to give them a used look, or sourcing vintage Celine bags with obvious signs of wear.
    — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 2 July 2026
  • She’s talked up her push to convert darkened streetlights, many of them stripped of their copper wire, to solar power.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
Definition of darkened
Adjective
  • Aerial footage showed heavy damage to the suspect's vehicle, a dark gray sedan.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 14 July 2026
  • They're headed to a battery recycler who will shred them into a fine, dark powder called black mass, from which those minerals can be recovered and reused in new batteries.
    — Camila Domonoske, NPR, 13 July 2026
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • With Jagger’s vocals often buried deep in the muddy and murky mix, the album initially sounds like a druggy demo.
    — Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Additional flights of the Zhuque-3 and Long March 12A are likely to come soon, although the scheduling is murky because of China’s tendency to stay tight-lipped about the specifics of its future plans.
    — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 10 July 2026
Definition of murky
Adjective
  • The Hollywood Bowl was by no means a lonely bowl Sunday night, as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass returned to pack the storied venue for the first time in 59 years.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 7 July 2026
  • Through letters, Ulisses charms lonely women, bilking them of money and possessions.
    — Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026
Definition of lonely
Adjective
  • The impact sends the black car crashing into Garden Gourmet Deli and Grill on the corner.
    — Jenna DeAngelis, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • On a balmy June evening, a crowd of vampire obsessives descended upon the Upper West Side’s Beacon Theatre in a sea of black and red.
    — Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
Definition of black
Adjective
  • Outside of Duran’s efforts, though, the Rangers’ offense was bleak.
    — Cal Phillips Updated July 11, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 July 2026
  • Indeed, Brocka insists on escapist fantasies in a world that otherwise offers no escape, which, in my view, is more hopeful than bleak — and, in turn, allows this kind of gritty sensuality to persist in his ever-enduring, luminous cinema.
    — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • In addition to which, the Moon is lined up with stern Saturn, which can be depressing.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 7 July 2026
  • Laughter and jokes are banned, and writing is presented as arduous and faintly depressing.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of depressing
Adjective
  • Instead, Alfonzo’s first appearance, the culmination of nine tireless years, was somber , stricken by the grief overshadowing what should’ve been a joyous moment in the Dodgers’ to the Padres.
    — Liana Handler Follow, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Flying straight from the merry Riverlands into the somber halls of Dragonstone is one hell of a comedown, but Daemon never struggles to access his dark side.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026
Definition of somber
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.

Browse Nearby Words

tend (to)
tenebrific
tenebrous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tenebrific.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tenebrific. Accessed 14 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 yaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
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
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All